Centrepoint, the country’s leading youth homelessness charity has predicted that almost 23,000 young people will face homelessness this winter.
Latest figures from the charity suggest that one young person faces homelessness every four minutes, and that more than one young person a day calls Centrepoint’s Helpline because a local council has wrongly turned them away from homelessness support. In the East Midlands alone, the estimated number of young people who may present as homelessness in October - December 2024 is concluded to be 2,000.
As well as the physical discomfort, being homeless has a long-lasting psychological effect on those impacted, with 71% of formerly homeless young people saying that being homeless worsened their mental health.
Two thirds (66%) of those surveyed said they felt anxious for their safety because they had nowhere to stay at Christmas.
Doctor Helen Miles, Head of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) at Centrepoint says: “Experiencing homelessness at any age can have a huge and long-lasting impact on a person’s physical and mental health, but young people are particularly vulnerable.
“The trauma and instability of not having a safe home, family or network to turn to can severely affect a young person’s sense of physical and emotional safety, which can impact on their ability to engage in life opportunities, critical at this age in order to reach their full potential in the future.
“Our snow globe installation on Southbank (London) is a powerful visual representation of some of the hidden struggles homeless young people face, and how important the right support is in enabling them to move on from homelessness for good.”
Through Centrepoint you can sponsor a room to get a homeless young person off the streets for good. Your gift will not only pay for a warm, safe room for up to a year, but it will also go towards providing vital support they may have never been given before.
If you believe every young person deserves to feel safe and have a warm place to stay this Christmas, give them a life changing gift by donating here: centrepoint.org.uk/snowglobe
The Freephone Centrepoint Helpline is available for any young person aged 16-25 worried about homelessness. It is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
The Centrepoint Helpline number is: 0808 800 0661.
For more information, please visit www.centrepoint.org.uk
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