‘I was homeless at 21 and stuck on a waiting list for 4 years – young people have no hope’
More than 130,000 young households are currently stuck on social housing waiting lists in England, creating a backlog that would take more than six years to clear at current rates, a new report has revealed.
Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, which published the findings, said the housing system was forcing young people to “put their lives on hold” due to the inadequate number and quality of social homes available.
Chloe Harris was on the local social housing list for four years before moving into charity-funded supported accommodation after receiving no offers.
The 25-year-old says one of the most difficult parts of the process was trying to bid for social housing, as the Group C priority level (near the lowest) left him in constant limbo.
“When you bid, it goes live on Wednesday at midnight. You stay up late because you want to see your position,” he said.
“He was telling me I was second in line and when I woke up the next morning I was 43rd. How does this happen? It gives you false hope when your mental health is already at rock bottom.”
Ms Harris, who experienced street homelessness after suffering financial abuse, began volunteering with homelessness charity Alabare, which had previously provided her with supported accommodation.
He added that having to “prove” to the local authority that he was homeless was one of the most difficult parts of his experience.
“Having to prove that you’ve been sleeping on the street… you lose any sense of self-respect possible. That could be the tipping point for a lot of people,” he said.
The Centrepoint report, which analyzed official data and Freedom of Information requests, points to a stark mismatch between available housing and the needs of young applicants.
While almost half (48 per cent) of young applicants require one-bedroom properties, this equates to just 24 per cent of the available social housing stock. This gap means young people often have nowhere to go, even if they manage to move up the waiting list.
Centrepoint’s research also found:
- Two thirds (66 per cent) of young people currently living in social housing said they were at risk of homelessness
- One in three young people say discrimination has kept them from renting privately
- There has been a 10 per cent decline in the number of homeowners registered with an HMO, the most common type of accommodation for young people, since 2019/20.
Ella Nuttall, Centrepoint’s director of policy and research, said: “Young people should be able to take safe, stable housing for granted. It is the foundation of everything in life. Without it, the risk of repeated homelessness, poor mental health and long-term disadvantage increases.
“The waiting period between asking for support and receiving it is too long. Here we are effectively asking young people to put their lives on hold: at a time when many of their peers are starting to work and exploring the world around them, young people in housing crisis are stuck in temporary accommodation, or worse.”
Labor has pledged to build 1.5 million homes by 2029 and 180,000 social homes by 2036 to improve affordability and tackle homelessness. There are currently 1.3 million people on the waiting list for social housing.
But experts say the government’s social housing target falls far short of what is needed. Housing charity Shelter has called on the government to build 90,000 social homes a year for ten years to offset the net loss of 260,000 in the 10 years to 2022/23.
Ms Nuttall added: “The government is making the right noises about prevention and support but is increasing the level of housing construction, including the building of decent social homes, which will be transformative for jobs. Without this, too many young people will continue to face homelessness and will be left without stable housing and the opportunity to progress their lives.”
The government was contacted for comment.
