The #YOUTH HOMELESS CHAPTER CAMPAIGN
We are concerned that young people will be the Missing Chapter in the government's Ending Youth Homelessness strategy. We are asking for immediate action to ensure their voices are not overlooked and their needs remain a top priority on the national agenda.
If young people aren’t designed into housing and homelessness systems, they get directly excluded. We asked the government to add a #YouthHomelessChapter to their strategy to end homelessness to make sure young people don’t get left out
The three strands to a cross-departmental solution:
Strand 1: Preventing youth homelessness before it happens
We could intervene earlier and prevent the harm of homelessness in the first place by supporting young people to avoid crises in the first place through schools, families, and councils with:
An early identification programme within schools so those at risk are identified and supported.
Work with young people and the youth homelessness sector to write and implement a youth-specific chapter in the Homelessness Code of Guidance.
Strand 2: Housing and support for young people facing homelessness
Ensuring a supply of genuinely affordable and appropriate housing for young people. This must include better, safer options in place to catch and support young people facing homelessness to sustainably solve their housing issues. We recommend the government:
Incentivise the development of more social homes, with a particular focus on the housing needs of young people.
Safeguard future of supported houses.
Increase availability of Stepping Stone Accommodation
End the single accommodation age cap, which prevents young people under 35 years old from living alone.
Roll out and implement the Positive Pathways model nationally.
Strand 3: Get young people working and ready for independence
Fairer pay and resources so young people can build successful, independent lives and get a helping hand if they experience a setback.
The government could do this by:
Reducing the housing benefit taper rate
Introduce a new Youth Independence Payment for young people living independently without family support.
Extend having Jobcentre staff located on more supported accommodation sites part time.
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.
Petition for a Youth Homeless Strategy
Since the Collective first launched in 2023, we have been campaigning for specific focus on young people in any government strategy on ending homelessness.
The reasons why young people become homeless are different to adults and the ways young people get out of homelessness are different to adults. Therefore, young people needed their own section that addressed this.
Thanks to the support of our incredible campaigning community, our Parliamentary petition calling for an ending youth homelessness strategy garnered over 15,000 signatures!
On 25 March 2024, campaign representatives and young people who have experienced homelessness hand-delivered the petition to 10 Downing Street.
DURING THIS CAMPAIGN, WE:
Grew from 11 initial charities to a movement of 143 organisations across the entire UK.
Changed our name from #PlanForThe129k to #PlanForThe136k to reflect the escalating statistics of the youth homelessness crisis
We launched our policy briefing, campaign website and delivered a huge range of media, including live TV, national radio, popular podcasts and more!
We worked with 20 celebrities and at least 40 MPs, Ministers, senior Parliamentarians and civil servants
The campaign has been mentioned in the Greater London Assembly, the House of Lords, and recently we secured the first parliamentary debate on youth homelessness in 40 years
“We were so proud to be part of the movement that built the Youth Homelessness Collective. Collaborating helps us to share tools and insight, alleviate some of the pressure the sector is under and ultimately have more impact. We’ve achieved so much in the first few years, and we’re just getting started! Together we can be a real force for good.”
- Polly Stephens, Head of Policy, Impact and Partnerships at New Horizon Youth Centre