According to charity Centrepoint, 121,000 young people in the UK approached their local authority in 2019/20 as they were homeless or at risk of homelessness – often at a crisis point where family relationships had broken down.  Many of these young people sleep rough every night, but there are thousands more “hidden homeless”, sleeping on sofas, floors, night buses or with strangers.

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problem, with young people hit particularly hard by unemployment and the strain on family relationships resulting from lockdown restrictions.  Moreover, the pandemic has thrown up barriers to young people making formal homelessness applications and accessing appropriate support from councils.

In our free webinar, we will explore the current picture of youth homelessness in the UK, the particular challenges young people face in accessing housing and the interventions that work.

Hear from Homes for Cathy member One Housing, which supports over 400  vulnerable young people in London, working with each individual to understand their unique circumstances and collaborating with nearly 40 partners via its Whites Row assessment centre, including the NHS, local businesses and charities, to provide a holistic approach to youth homelessness.

Learn from our speakers:

• Billy Harding, Senior Policy & Research Officer at Centrepoint
• Lucy Bowyer, Assistant Director of Services at the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT)
• Kathleen Hopgood, Strategic Head of Homelessness and Raymond Austin, Head of Homelessness and Prevention at One Housing

Following our speakers, there will be an opportunity for questions from attendees and discussion.

Register below for your free place.  The webinar will be held via Zoom – a joining link will be sent out shortly.