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Housing & Supported Accommodation

Overview

Research has identified a number of factors associated with high risk of homelessness among young people including: “experiencing abuse or neglect; experiencing domestic violence, mental health or substance issues within the family home; running away as a child; truanting or being excluded from school; leaving school with no qualifications; having learning disabilities; and being a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender young person.”1

It is crucial that young people at risk of homelessness get early support to inform them about their choices and options and to help them to access accommodation services at the right time. The number of young people reaching the tipping point of homelessness in Sheffield has been falling over recent years but young people continue to form a relatively high proportion of the total number of people who present to the Council’s Housing Solutions as homeless, and the number of 16-25’s accessing supported accommodation. It is important to note that the incidence of homelessness among young people is likely to exceed official statistics because it is often masked, for example as ‘staying with friends’. This description can cover a wide range of circumstances from relatively safe temporary arrangements to significantly unstable accommodation and downright dangerous situations of exploitation.

Key Facts

  • The main reported reason why young people become homeless in Sheffield and nationwide is because their parents or families are unable to or no longer wish to house them. This can be for a number of reasons including clashes within the home, overcrowding, pregnancy, parental ill-health, financial pressures, breakup of parents’ relationship, introduction of parent’s new partner, problematic parental or young people’s behaviour, etc.
  • In 2015-16 Housing Solutions dealt with 438 homeless presentations by young people aged between 16 and 25, 310 of whom were single young people.
  • Generally research indicates that the best outcomes for young people are achieved by those who remain living in the family home, where it is safe to do so, and for those who leave home in a planned way only when they are ready in terms of their emotional, practical and financial wellbeing.2,3
  • All 16/17 year olds who present as homeless to the Council are jointly assessed by a housing officer and a children’s social worker.
  • It is now possible to identify the secondary schools attended by young people who later became homeless, although this is not routinely monitored.

Best Prcatice

Statutory Guidance - Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities 20064 (Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Education and Department for Health) identifies that young people who are at risk of exclusion from education are more at risk of becoming homeless. It suggests that one way to tackle common causes of homelessness is by housing authorities working with local schools to provide young people with information about the implications of leaving home and the housing choices available to them. The following local agencies offer help and advice on specific matters, and the list of local offers and providers highlights who will do work in schools around homelessness.

Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Sheffield

enquiries@learnsheffield.co.uk
0114 250 7417

Learn Sheffield,
Suite 6, Albion House, Savile Street,
Sheffield, S4 7UD

Learn Sheffield is a not for profit company limited by guarantee, of which 80% is owned by Sheffield schools and colleges and 20% by Sheffield City Council.

Page Updated: 30 November 2022

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