CYP Now reports that the number of young people aged 16 to 24 who have been accepted as homeless by councils has 'risen by 15 per cent over the past year, according to latest government figures.'
This is scary. The increase is expected to continue and it doesn't take a great deal of imagination to anticipate serious further consequences for these young people over time. The charity Centrepoint notes that 'the actual increase could be far greater' and says
'the figures show the effect [that] public sector cuts, poor job prospects and price rises are having on young people and families.'
The Guardian has a piece today on the more general homelessness figures, but otherwise they seem to have been passed over by most of our broadcast media. Why?
And I don't have a lot of confidence that this government will regard these figures as a matter of concern until it's way too late. Perhaps I'm being unfair, but would you put your trust in the eight ministers who form the Ministerial working group on preventing and tackling homelessness?
