On Monday 25th March four young people with lived experience of homelessness, Felix, Deborah, Andrew and Stella, took our petition calling for an end to youth homelessness to Number 10 Downing Street, to deliver it directly to the Prime Minister.
The petition calls for the Government to create a national strategy to end youth homelessness and it received a whopping 15,334 signatures from people all across the UK.
In 2022/2023 136,000 young people were homeless in the UK, but there are no plans by the Government to deal with this issue. Therefore, New Horizon, Depaul and Centrepoint along with over 130 other youth and homelessness charities demand the Government makes a #PlanForThe136k to end youth homelessness.
The strategy that we are calling on the Government to adopt will see youth homelessness, and homelessness over all, fall significantly in the next few years. It has three main areas: prevention (in schools, councils, families), housing (providing youth-specific temporary, supported and social housing) and finances (ensuring young people get fair wages, housing benefit and universal credit).
In February the Government responded to the petition when it reached 10,000 signatures, but they completely missed the mark (read about it here) and did not agree to creating a strategy to end youth homelessness, or acknowledge any of our demands.
Felix, Andrew, Stella and Deborah have been supported by Depaul, Centrepoint and New Horizon Youth Centre with their housing issues over the past few years and are now advocates for ending youth homelessness, using their platforms to speak up and act for young people all across the UK.
Andrew, who has been supported by Centrepoint says,
After having a little skint with homelessness briefly, I’ve become passionate. I don’t want other kids who are my age to go through the same thing.
Deborah, supported by New Horizon Youth Centre says,
Today I handed in a petition to Number 10 and it went really well. Hopefully we can get more outreach on this matter of ending youth homelessness.
They were joined by Alicia Walker, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Centrepoint and Polly Stephens, Head of Learning, Policy and Communications at New Horizon Youth Centre.
Outside Parliament we met Nadia Whittome MP for Nottingham East who encouraged people to get involved with the campaign,
Over 136,000 young people are currently homeless but the Government doesn’t have a plan to deal with it.
To find out more about the campaign or get involved, click here.
