Greater Manchester comes together to take action against homelessness for young people
Campaign tile - nearly 136,000 young people approached their council as homeless last year. We need a #PlanForThe136k
Thursday 30th November saw the latest homelessness statistics released from the Office for National Statistics. They paint a bleak picture.
105,750 households across England are living in temporary accommodation. 64% of those households include children. That equates to nearly 139,000 children without stable housing, a 10% increase on this time last year.
At the same time, more than 6,000 households have been served a no-fault eviction and are now faced with homelessness.
These data from the ONS sit alongside stark figures from the Centrepoint databank for youth homelessness. Nearly 136,000 young people (aged 18-25) approached their local authority as homeless last year – up from 129,000 the previous year.
No one should be without a home. But for our children and young people, the consequences of homelessness at these critical stages of life can be far reaching. And the costs are not just at the individual level with Centrepoint estimating that youth homelessness costs the economy £8.5 billion a year.
This is the backdrop against which organisations from across Greater Manchester came together through the Greater Manchester Homeless Action Network (GMAN) to act against the spiralling issue of homelessness amongst young people in the region, and across the UK.
Organised by the Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network, a collective that brings together all across Greater Manchester working to end homelessness.
“The homelessness action network hosted this event as we want to celebrate the good work so far in Greater Manchester to tackle youth homelessness, however, we know there’s still a long way to go. Bringing everyone together to push for change is essential to improve outcome for young people facing homelessness.”
Hosted at St Paul’s Church in Manchester, the day included various discussions on potential solutions to youth homelessness. Key contributors include the Greater Manchester Better Outcomes Partnership and specialist partners - Depaul, AKT, 42nd Street, Calico, Centrepoint, Early Break and The Brick. Outcomes included plans to support young people at risk of homelessness, to ensure they can access help before it’s too late, through the deployment of new schemes at schools and workplaces to prevent homelessness and responding to those at risk.
A key point of consideration for those in attendance was the lack of access to employment for young people who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness and the knock-on effects it has on the large national economic output. This continues to result in a huge loss to society in both the short and long-term and highlights the ongoing need to rectify this moving forward.
Our CEO, Fran Darlington-Pollock, who co-hosted the event said:
“Many of us are now looking forward to the Christmas season as a time of relaxation, warmth, and joy in our homes and with our loved ones. But that is sadly not the reality for too many young people in Greater Manchester. That’s why it’s so important to not only come together to support young people, but also to stand together to call for change nationally. We cannot forget the 136,000 young people currently at risk of homelessness. The time for action is now.”
The Manchester cohort was joined by one of the leaders of a national strategy to end youth homelessness ‘Plan for the 136k’ and CEO of New Horizons Youth Centre in London, Phil Kerry.
“Youth homelessness is on the rise in London and sadly, despite best efforts, that is something we share with Greater Manchester. But we also share an unwavering commitment to end it, something that has been evident during this event and through our collaborative call on Government to commit to a strategy to end youth homelessness and ensuring there is a plan for the 136,000 young people who faced it last year.”
What can you do to tackle youth homelessness in Greater Manchester?
Donate to local causes: Donate much needed funds (a little can go a long way) to support organisations tackling homelessness and ending the need for rough sleeping. For example, a donation to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, will be put to good use across the city region, supporting anything from the pioneering scheme for rough sleeping – A Bed Every Night – to work that can help stop homelessness before it becomes a reality. Change your usual Christmas traditions this year and pledge as a family to support others instead. For example, why not forgo your usual Christmas cards, and donate the money you’d usually spend? Together, it can help us take action against youth homelessness in Greater Manchester.
Learn more about what causes homelessness: Knowledge is power. Homelessness is a complex issue that can be caused by a variety of things. No one person’s experience of homelessness is the same, but there are commonalities to the causes. Only when we understand the cause, can we work together to find a sustainable solution. Read more about the causes to youth homelessness here.
Call on your local MP for better support: ask your local MP what support is in place for young people at the risk of homelessness in your local area, and when you discover it’s not enough – don’t be afraid to ask them to do more. Together we can make a difference, but we need a collective voice to get the government to listen and provide better support.