Stop the bus.

If you saw a double-decker bus full of young people without safety, security or a place to sleep tonight, chances are you’d want to do something to stop it. This is the huge scale of the problem we’re facing. So why does it go under the radar?

It’s because youth homelessness is difficult to track and hard to see. Many young people don’t want to admit there’s a problem, they don’t think they’ll be taken seriously, or they might just not know what to do next. So, they don’t go to their council, and they’re left out of the official stats.

Take last year. Of the young people who came to see us, only 56% had told their council they were homeless. That leaves 44% of young homeless people unaccounted for*.

So, while the official stat of 15,200 young Londoners facing homelessness last year is already shocking**, we know the real number is nearly double that.

* Percentage calculations based on an NHYC dataset from the 2021-22 financial year

**Centrepoint Databank

Homelessness looks different for everyone. What we mean when we say ‘forced into homelessness’ is:

• – Staying with friends, strangers, ‘sofa surfing’ or informal accommodation arrangements
• – Sleeping on buses or in public places
• – Sleeping rough on the streets or in buildings
• – Staying with families or relationships where they are unsafe or at risk of harm
• – Modern slavery
• – Housing precarity – not knowing where they’ll sleep next

See more about this and the London data in our ‘Life Off the Streets’ report.

Behind the stats, there are tens of thousands of individual stories. Of adversity, community, and resilience.

All our stories are rooted in the real-life experiences of young people supported by NHYC. We’ve fictionalised names and timelines, and used voice actors to protect their anonymity.

Hear Jermaine’s story

Hear Bisrat’s story

Hear Chantelle’s story

Hear Alisha’s story

Hear Bay’s story

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, which exacerbated existing inequalities and cracks in the system, we’re seeing a disproportionate number of young people from marginalised communities being pushed into crisis.

Last year in London:

• – Young Black people were 3x more likely to face homelessness than young White people
• – 19.6% of all households owed prevention relief were aged 18-25
• – 8.4% of all people sleeping rough were aged 16-25
• – 18% of young people sleeping rough reported they stayed or slept on buses, bus stops and stations at night
• – 64% of young people seeking homelessness support experienced mental health difficulties

See our ‘Winter Snapshot’ report for more.

Youth homelessness is often misunderstood and, for those who are fortunate never to experience it, it can feel difficult to relate to. But for many young people, it’s a lot closer than we think. That’s down to a mix of factors – the current economic climate, individual circumstances and oversight from policymakers and commissioners.

Shockingly, last year in London, 40% of young people were worried about not having a safe or stable place to stay.

Here are just some of the structural and systematic factors that force young people into homelessness every day:

• – Under the age of 25 = 25% less universal credit but same living costs
• – Not classed as a priority, or not able to receive statutory support they’re entitled to
• – Renting is unaffordable due to huge upfront deposits or landlords not accepting benefits
• – Young people receive around a quarter less welfare benefits when not in (full) employment.
• – With the current energy price cap of £2,500, a young person living independently will have less than £700 per year (or £13.46 a week) to spend on food, their other bills toiletries, travel and any other essentials.
• – Don’t receive national living wage
• – Don’t have family support
• – Don’t have financial support
• – Lack of support for students (especially overseas)
• – School suspensions or exclusions
• – Undiagnosed mental health or learning needs
• – Criminal justice system disproportionately impacting certain communities
• – Domestic violence
• – Violence or threat of violence at home, in relationships or in the community
• – Difficult transitions from institutions, e.g., seeking asylum, leaving care or prison
• – Cuts in preventative services e.g., youth provision or youth clubs
• – Abuse and neglect because of racism, homophobia, transphobia