Care leavers: Number facing homelessness rises by a third

Rising numbers of young people leaving care in England are facing homelessness, according to new figures.

Government data shows that, since 2018-19, there has been a 33% rise in the number of care leaver households aged 18-20 assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness.

The charity Become said "it's a scandal that our care system is leaving young people at risk of homelessness".

The government said it is spending £2bn to tackle homelessness.

Sophie Shasby, 25, from Cheshire, lived in a children's home from the age of 13. She says that, since leaving care, she feels let down by the council.

"We're told that there's support for care leavers and we're made a priority, but that doesn't seem to happen."

Since leaving care she has come close to being homeless twice.

"In terms of deposits and those sorts of things, I've got no-one to support with that," she told the BBC.

"I couldn't just get a big lump of money and put a deposit down for somewhere."

New figures from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) show the number of 18-20 year old care leaver households in England facing homelessness has risen from 2,790 in 2018-19 to 3,710 in 2022-23.

The number of households facing homelessness in the general population has risen by 11% over the same period, from 269,510 to 298,430.

The data only tracks those assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness by their local authority, and so have received a relief or prevention duty.

Become, a charity for children in care and young care leavers, warns these figures may be "the tip of the iceberg" as it works with many young people who are sofa-surfing (sleeping in makeshift accommodation) or rough sleeping, unaware of the support they are entitled to.

Of care leaver households assessed in 2022-23, 2,270 were already homeless, while 1,440 were threatened with homelessness within 56 days.

Katharine Sacks-Jones, chief executive of Become, described the data as depressing but not surprising.

"Each year thousands of 18-year-olds face a care cliff where important support and relationships disappear and they are expected to leave care and become independent overnight, often well before they feel ready."

Become wants more support for care leavers up to the age of 25, including the expansion of the government's Staying Put and Staying Close schemes and help with rental deposits.

A DLUHC spokesperson said: "We are spending £2bn to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over next three years.

"Since 2018, more than 640,000 households have been prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation and our Homelessness Reduction Act means more people are getting the help they need before they face a crisis.

"We are providing funding to support to young people leaving care who are most at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping. We are transforming the system to focus on more early support for families, through our Staying Put and Staying Close programmes".