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Developers should use their homes to prevent youth homelessness
The solutions we need to tackle homelessness can be found through creativity and partnership, writes Paul Morrish, chief executive of LandAid
Paul Morrish is chief executive of LandAid
For the past 10 years, LandAid has worked with its property industry partners with a sole focus to end youth homelessness in the UK. But we haven’t achieved our goal.
As a society, we are failing. Last year, almost 136,000 young people reported themselves as homeless or at risk of homelessness to their local authority. This is likely to be only a fraction of the overall numbers.
Estimates have suggested that 48% of all young people experiencing homelessness do not contact their local authority. Many remain hidden, sleeping on friends’ sofas, in unsuitable accommodation, or even on the streets. In London alone, the number of young people sleeping rough has gone up 41% year-on-year.
It is encouraging to see the government investing in homelessness, social housing and housebuilding. But there’s still so much that remains untouched: there is an imbalance in how young people living in supported accommodation qualify for housing benefit; there is no housing offer for young people on apprenticeships or in low-paid work; and there is the well-reported severe shortage of affordable housing generally.
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As standard, surely we should assume there will be a home for everyone? We can’t lose sight of this. Our most basic expectation needs to be that each person, young or old, has a place to call home and there are things we can, and should, do in a bid to achieve this simple premise.
The solutions we need can be found through creativity and partnership. By working together – charities, the property industry, local and national governments – we can create solutions that truly meet the needs of those who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Such partnerships are crucial for developing strategies that are effective and, critically, sustainable.
“By partnering with socially minded build-to-rent operators willing to allocate a number of tenure-blind flats, we are able support more young people across the UK into independent living”
One such initiative we’ve pioneered with our property industry partners is the Build to Rent Pathfinder programme. This innovative approach aims to create affordable, high-quality rental homes for young people at risk of homelessness.
We know that many young people facing homelessness are in employment, education, or training, or are ready to do so. Despite this, a high percentage are unable to secure private tenancies due to their current financial status, with little or no available rent deposit. Or, perhaps even more gallingly, because of a lack of permanent address – the precise reason they’re seeking a tenancy.
This means that these young people often find themselves living in supported housing or hostels that they no longer need, can’t afford without state subsidy, and are desperate to leave.
By partnering with socially minded build-to-rent operators willing to allocate a number of tenure-blind flats, we are able support more young people across the UK into independent living. This partnership is something we are hoping to grow quickly following our recent successful pilot phase.
Recently, we hosted a roundtable event in Lambeth, in collaboration with The Royal Foundation, to discuss this programme with the local authority, charities and developers in the area. The place-based insights gained from this discussion are invaluable as we refine our strategies to meet the needs of London’s most vulnerable.
Partnerships allow for more holistic solutions for those at risk of homelessness. Supported lodgings is a community-based solution for homeowners to offer help; rent deposit schemes provide a way for young people to access the private rented sector; ‘live and work’ villages offer access to high-quality, low-cost housing for young people working or on an apprenticeship.
All these are solutions that LandAid, together with its property industry partners, has supported across the UK. But at present, this is a relative drop in an ocean of a problem.
“To address these issues, we need immediate action: increase funding for social housing, incentivise property donations, expand support services and strengthen partnerships”
Young people face numerous barriers, including a prohibitively expensive rental market and difficulty finding work. The high cost of living, especially in London, makes it nearly impossible for many to secure stable housing. Not having a stable home makes everything else more difficult: holding down a job, staying in school or education, even just keeping yourself clean.
To address these issues, we need immediate action: increase funding for social housing, incentivise property donations, expand support services and strengthen partnerships. More investment will build affordable homes and property donations can provide immediate relief. Comprehensive support services help young people find and keep jobs. Collaboration among all stakeholders will create holistic solutions.
At this year’s Homes UK conference, taking place at the ExCeL Centre on 28 November, I’ll be joining a panel to discuss how we can unlock delivery to tackle London’s homelessness crisis.
At LandAid, we are committed to leading the charge and working tirelessly to ensure that every young person has a safe place to call home, but we are only as good as the sum of our parts. Only if we really look this crisis in the eye and work together on holistic solutions delivered by public and private sector, by charity and by society as a whole, can we unlock the delivery needed to tackle it.
Paul Morrish, chief executive, LandAid
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