Harrow Chronicle: Centrepoint reports youth homelessness in London rose 13 per cent to 17,000 in 2024-25, with 123,934 young people homeless UK-wide. Calls for urgent government action.

17,000 young people faced homelessness in London last year, which was an increase of 13 per cent on the year before. It comes from new research from youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, with figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests to English local authorities. Nationally, Centrepoint found 123,934 young people faced homelessness across the UK in 2024 to 2025. This represents a six per cent increase of nearly 7,000 on the previous year, when 116,947 young people approached their council for help because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness. New speed cameras to be installed across London in dangerous driving crackdown Easy escapes for Londoners to try via the M25 Happy Spring London walks to brighten up your mood The figures cover the financial year from April 2024 to March 2025 and form part of the charity’s annual Youth Homelessness Databank, which monitors the scale of youth homelessness across the UK. Balbir Kaur Chatrik, director of policy and prevention at Centrepoint, said: “Youth homelessness is at record levels, and this is another significant increase in the number of young people without a safe place to stay. “The experience of homelessness is incredibly traumatic for anyone, but it has a particular effect on young people. At a time when most of their peers are thinking of university or starting careers, increasing numbers of the most vulnerable young people are stuck, often in difficult situations, trying to navigate support alone. “By emphasising prevention and support the government’s Ending Homelessness Plan marked an important step in the right direction. We now urgently need to see a move from planning to delivery because, until we do, thousands more will be left waiting for meaningful action on night buses, strangers’ sofas, or worse.” During the reported period in England there were 107,585 young people recorded as the main applicant and approaching their council for housing support due to being homeless or at risk of homelessness, a six per cent increase on the previous year. In Wales, there was an eight per cent increase in the number of young people presenting as homeless, rising to 5,856, while Scotland also saw a slight increase of two per cent to 7,604. However, in Northern Ireland, there was very little change in the number of young people reaching out for help, with 2,889 in 2024 to 2025 compared to 2,896 the previous year. The North West had the highest levels of youth homelessness in the country last year, with an increase of 35 per cent from 14,471 to 19,587. This increase in the North West was more than double that of London, which nevertheless saw a significant rise in the number of young people seeking support.