Centrepoint exec warns 'we must protect young homeless from a night on the streets'

Hidden homeless: Many young homeless people do not end up sleeping rough
Centrepoint
Chloe Chaplain26 November 2016

Tens of thousands of young people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, approach their local authority each year.

In a city like London, where seeing rough sleepers in on the side of the road is common, the scale of homelessness is clear.

But according to Centrepoint’s statistics, almost three-quarters of those who stay with the charity have never slept rough - so where are these 'hidden homeless' spending the night?

The people that Centrepoint work with are often flitting between temporary 'homes' - sleeping in cars, on friends' sofas, in hostels or disused buildings.

Paul Noblet:  Head of Public Affairs at Centrepoint 
Harriet Armstrong

Paul Noblet, Head of Public Affairs at Centrepoint, told the Standard that there is a “reality gap between the way the law sees homeless people and the way the public see homeless people”.

28% 


 of young people at Centrepoint have slept rough

He said: “When there are cases of people sleeping rough or fleeing violence, they are seen as a priority of course.

“But also if you are sleeping somewhere rough in London then the local authority with their outreach teams know where you are and that you are at risk.

“Whereas if you are sleeping on someone’s sofa, then only that person knows you are homeless so you may not get the help you need.

“Sofa surfers do not actually consider themselves homeless so it is quite a big thing for those young people, who have not slept rough, to seek help.

1/4


 of young homeless people have stayed with a stranger

“But they need to get help because there is a link between rough sleeping and sofa surfing - when they run out of friends and family to stay with they end up on the streets.”

Someone is considered by law to be homeless if they are "at risk of falling into homeless, are homeless, are on the path to recovery from a homeless situation, or are in substandard or inadequate accommodation”.

On the streets: Many people think that homelessness equates to sleeping rough
Centrepoint

Mr Noblet said that one of the common misconceptions about youth homelessness is that the young people have themselves to blame.

“I think there can be an assumption that homelessness is something people bring on themselves,” he said.

“But with those under 25, one of the biggest causes is family breakdown – because they suffer domestic violence, maybe they had an argument with their parents, or their families have strong beliefs about sexuality or something that they do not agree with.

“So it is not something that they are bringing upon themselves. This is the biggest difference that this age group has versus those older that people are used to seeing on the streets.”

12%


 of young homeless people have committed a crime to be taken into custody

There are services available for passers-by to report a rough-sleeper, for example the StreetLink helpline.

StreetLink was set up for members of the public to alert local outreach groups to where someone is sleeping at night.

But for young people sleeping on friends’ sofas, the help is not so obvious.

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Mr Noblet advised that, if someone is concerned about a friend who is moving between temporary accommodation, the best way to help is to approach their local authority.

“We would say that, if there is someone sleeping on their sofa, then they can go to their local council, which are all geared up to support young people.”

And this is where the new Young and Homeless Helpline will offer additional support.

9%


 of homeless youths have tried to admit themselves to A&E to get a bed

The line will enable those aged between 16 and 25, for the first time ever, to secure the support they are entitled to at the earliest opportunity, reducing risk of harm and increasing the potential for positive outcome.

It could mean putting them through to the local council, or directing them to a night shelter.

Young homeless: Sleeping on the streets can lead to psychological damage
Centrepoint

Alternatively it could be connecting them to support in their area: anything from food banks to day centres to temporary accommodation, hostels or low-cost accommodation.

“The big thing for us is how we stop youth homelessness. That is really where the helpline comes in because we want to stem the flow of young people who end up on the streets,” Mr Noblet said.

“We did some research last year looking into how many people make desperate decisions to have somewhere to stay.

“And some end up going home with a stranger, committing a crime just to be taken into custody or doing something to ensure they are taken into A&E.

“We want to stop it before they spend even one night on the streets.

“People can suffer from psychological damage from sleeping on the streets - caused by verbal abuse, sexual abuse, or being mugged of all your belongings.

“And this can happen after just one night so we want to prevent this from happening.”

The Evening Standard's Homeless Helpline appeal is raising money for the Centrepoint Helpline, a brand new support service that will save young people from ending up on the streets.

To donate please visit our Just Giving page.

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