The Welsh government yesterday announced an extra £10m to end youth homelessness by 2027.

First Minister Carwyn Jones said the money would be made available to support the government’s drive to eradicate youth homelessness — a drive that involves a partnership with councils and the End Youth Homelessness in Wales campaign.

The campaign, led by Mr Jones, the actor and activist Michael Sheen, and the homelessness charity Llamau, seeks to ensure no young person is left without a home within the next 10 years.

Speaking at Llamau’s headquarters in Cardiff, the First Minister said: ‘In Wales, we have some of the most progressive homelessness and social services legislation in the world, which has prevented 11,514 households from becoming homeless between its introduction in April 2015 and the end of June 2017.

‘And yet I continue to hear of young people becoming homeless after leaving care, young people dropping out of education, young people in custody and young people with nowhere else to stay but a Bed and Breakfast. This is not good enough.

‘Wales must lead the way on tackling homelessness. I want us to be bold – to take new approaches, focus on interventions that make a real difference and work with partners to help young people avoid crisis situations and support them into stable accommodation.’

Commenting on the announcement, Frances Beecher, CEO of Llamau, said: ‘We believe that we have a wonderful opportunity in Wales to deliver real change. Estimates show that every year over 7,000 young people ask for help with homelessness, but we know that many more young people don’t know where to turn or who to ask for help when they become homeless. 

‘Today’s announcement shows the Welsh Government’s commitment to tackling this issue, and we look forward to working closely with them to ensure that young people who are at risk of becoming homeless are supported as soon as they need it, and to ensure that youth homelessness is a thing of the past.’ 

According to the most recent data on homelessness from the Welsh government, a total of 2,187 households were assessed as threatened with homelessness within 56 days between July and September 2017.