lets change the current housing system
Too often, housing options do not reflect the needs of young people. As a result, many young people are unable to move on from homelessness, build independence, or maintain stable housing.
Housing isn’t working for young people. What is needed is a housing system that supports them at every stage of their journey to independence.
The three ways to fix housing for young people
Strand 1: Supported Housing
Young people are often gatekept from getting the support they need with the use of local connection tests. Local authorities have been shown to use local connection tests to push young people to seek support from other authorities. Many young people struggle to prove their connection to an area, particularly if they have been rough sleeping and are unable to provide written evidence. This is further compounded by the fact that location of education cannot be used to establish a local connection.
Reducing this barrier supports young people who are at a higher risk of homelessness, such as LGBTQ+ young people, who are more likely to need to move away from areas of previous residency following family breakdown, and may be disproportionately impacted by local connection requirements when they need to relocate for safety.
Local authorities are operating within constrained budgets, making it essential that the implementation of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, including the publication of draft regulations, fully considers funding requirements and ensures that provision is sustainable and able to deliver high-quality support for young people.
Strand 2: Stepping Stone Homes
Many young people experiencing homelessness are able to make the transition towards independence with the right support. However, this transition is often hindered by a lack of suitable housing options. Young people face structural barriers in the housing market, including limited access to affordable homes, lower incomes due to age, and restricted benefit entitlements. As a result, even when they are ready to live independently, they are unable to secure tenancies due to prohibitive costs and other barriers.
This gap between supported housing and full independence creates a cliff edge, where young people can become stuck in supported accommodation for longer than necessary, or move into insecure or unsuitable housing that places them at risk of repeat homelessness.
Stepping stone accommodation addresses this gap by providing good-quality, genuinely affordable homes alongside light-touch support. Proven models such as Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme and St Basils’ Live and Work scheme demonstrate that this approach enables young people to build financial resilience, develop tenancy skills, and transition successfully into long-term independent living.
However, at present, both planning and funding obstacles are slowing down the amplification of these homes. There is no formal recognition of stepping stone homes as an established affordable housing product. As a result, proposals are routinely delayed. We need the Government to take action and increase the availability of good quality, affordable stepping stone homes for young people.
Strand 3: Affordable Housing
Young people need access to long-term, genuinely affordable one-bedroom social homes so they can build a secure and stable future.
While the Government has committed to building 1.5 million homes in England during this Parliament, there is a significant risk that new supply will not meet the needs of young people unless it includes a sufficient proportion of genuinely affordable homes. Young people face structural barriers to accessing housing, including lower incomes, reduced benefit entitlements, and limited access to family support. As a result, many are unable to afford market rents or access existing social housing.
One-bedroom homes are particularly important for young people transitioning to independent living, yet they remain underrepresented within the current social housing stock. At the same time, a lack of access routes into existing affordable housing means that even where supply exists, young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness are often unable to benefit from it.
It is also critical that homes suitable for young people are delivered as part of mixed and sustainable communities, rather than being isolated or concentrated in ways that limit access to employment, services, and support networks. Integrating affordable homes within wider developments supports better outcomes for young people and strengthens communities.
OUR DAY OF ACTION: 13 may 2025
On Tuesday 13 May 2025, we had the largest, in-person gathering that the Youth Homelessness Collective has had so far!
We took over Parliament Square to make some noise and ensure young people aren’t the missing chapter in the government’s upcoming Ending Homelessness strategy.
Since the General Election, we’ve spoken to dozens of MPs about the need for a youth chapter in the new cross-departmental strategy to end homelessness and we have generated support across parliament for this approach.
We invited them to come along to our Day of Action and hear from young people directly about their experience of homelessness.
WE WON!
Young people will finally be prioritised in the government’s new National Plan to End Homelessness - a major step forward.
In December 2025, the government released their strategy to end homelessness. As part of campaigning with the Youth Chapter Collective, we have been calling for solutions that prioritise young people specifically, as approximately half of adults face rough sleeping before the age of 25.
The inclusion of a dedicated section to young people demonstrates the government’s recognition that young people face different challenges and risks of homelessness. For too long, young people have been overlooked in national homelessness policy – and this section is essential to addressing them.
Although there is much more to be done to support young people, this is a promising demonstration that campaigning works and a vital step forward.
"We believe this period of transition in young people’s lives is the perfect place to show an active, intersectional intervention and a commitment to levelling up for every future generation. It’s a great opportunity to directly transform the lives and futures of young people in the UK, something any society would be proud of."
- Polly Stephens, Head of Policy, Learning & Comms, New Horizon Youth Centre