WEST Midlands charity St. Basils has announced its participation as a member of a powerful coalition of youth charities calling on all political parties to have a strategy to end youth homelessness.
So far, over 100 charities across the UK have signed up to this call with more set to follow.
In the past year alone, 129,000 16–25-year-olds across the UK sought help from their local councils to prevent or solve homelessness, equating to approximately 353 young people approaching councils daily.
That’s a new young person every four minutes left exposed vulnerable to the harmful effects of homelessness.
Jean Templeton chief executive of St Basils said: “What do we want for young people?
“We want them to feel cared about, to have trusted support, somewhere safe, suitable and affordable to live that enables them to learn and to work.
“Homelessness should not be part of growing up for any child or young person.”
St Basils say the actual scale of youth homelessness extends far beyond the reported figures as many young people do not even reach out to their councils, and countless others fall into the category of hidden homelessness.
The charity have suggested that any proposed strategy should prioritise prevention, housing and finances for young people.
Jean Templeton added: “As a coalition of homelessness and youth organisations, we appeal to major political parties to talk to us and adopt our strategy to end youth homelessness as a vital commitment within their manifestos.
“We firmly believe that by joining forces and rallying behind this comprehensive strategy, we can instigate tangible change and create a society where every young person has a secure and promising future.”
