YMCA responds to the latest statutory homelessness statistics released today by the Department for Local Government and Communities (DCLG). These statistics show how many households across England were accepted as homeless and in priority need by local councils from April to June 2016.
Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England, the National Council of YMCAs in England and Wales, said: “While the number of young people being accepted as homeless by their local council has remained relatively stable over the past year, it is a sad fact that this life-changing and potentially damaging occurrence is still happening to the equivalent of 36 young people every single day.
“YMCA houses more than 11,000 predominantly homeless young people every night and we know from listening to the stories of our residents just how important it is for young people to have a safe and stable place to live in order for them to achieve their potential.
“That is why YMCA is asking Government to tackle root cause of the problem by increasing its investment in low-cost accommodation such as YMCA’s Y:Cube housing* project.”
*Y:Cube Housing was developed by YMCA London South West. It provides self-contained and affordable starter accommodation for people who are unable to either gain a first step on the housing ladder or pay the high costs of private rent. The factory-produced accommodation makes use of modern building practices to create one-bed homes for just £30,000 each.
- 3,370 young people aged 16 to 24-years-old were accepted as homeless by their local council between April and June 2016 (22% of all households) compared to 3,360 in the same period last year.