{"id":6151,"date":"2023-06-12T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.depaul.org.uk\/?post_type=news&p=6151"},"modified":"2023-06-12T05:31:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T04:31:03","slug":"strategy-to-end-the-youth-homelessness-crisis","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.depaul.org.uk\/news\/strategy-to-end-the-youth-homelessness-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Depaul UK joins a coalition of 100 charities calling on UK political leaders to commit to a strategy to end the youth homelessness crisis\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Depaul UK has joined a group of leading youth and homelessness charities including New Horizons, Centrepoint and YMCA UK calling on political leaders to commit to a strategy to end\u00a0youth homelessness as part of their election manifesto.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Together,\u00a0we will launch our campaign to promote the Strategy to End Youth Homelessness on Monday 12 June, and draw attention to the 129,000* 16\u201325-year-olds who reported to their council that they were homeless or at risk of homelessness.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s 353 young people a day, or one young person every four minutes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, the true scale of youth homelessness is thought to be double this figure. Many young people don’t contact their council at all, precariously navigating between friends’ sofas and the fear of the streets.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the real scale of the issue may be unknown, the solutions are not.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We know what works and we know that young people experience homelessness in a different way to other age groups. That\u2019s why we are calling for a cross-departmental strategy that prioritises:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  • Prevention<\/span><\/b> – supporting young people to avoid crisis in the first place<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Housing<\/span><\/b> – better, safer options in place to catch and support those facing homelessness<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Finances<\/span><\/b> – fairer pay and resources so young people can build successful, independent lives<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Depaul UK\u2019s CEO, Mike Thiedke, said: \u201cThere\u2019s never been a more urgent time for political leaders to act together and commit to ending youth homelessness.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cWe are seeing more and more young people entering our services, needing help to access food banks or manage their bills. Many of the young people we see are unable to afford rent, or to eat more than one meal a day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cThe time to raise the alarm is now. We have the solutions, what we need is the commitment from political leaders to deliver them.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The campaign #planforthe129k will highlight how young people have been systemically overlooked in local and national homelessness and housing strategies, which coupled with the fallout of Covid and the cost-of-living crisis, has left thousands at risk of homelessness.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    We think they deserve better. We demand better.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Join us to campaign for #planforthe129k<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    *Centrepoint Databank\u2013Estimates for2021-22 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Sign up to our newsletter to find out about how we support young people experiencing homelessness.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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