17 November 2006
New measures to tackle youth homelessness and provide more support for vulnerable adults have been announced by the government.
A national network of supported lodging schemes for young people who are thrown out by their parents is to be set up across England, and mediation services that aim to resolve family disputes are to be extended.
Speaking at an event to mark the fortieth anniversary of the landmark TV drama Cathy come home, Communities and Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly also promised to end the use of bed-and-breakfast accommodation for 16 and 17-year-olds by 2010.
Young people who no longer live with their parents account for about one in four of the 90,000 new homelessness cases accepted by local authorities each year. The measures – which also include sanctuary schemes for victims of violence – will cost £74m in 2007/08.
A further £90m is being spent on capital improvements to hostels that will allow them to offer vocational training. Twenty-five hostels have already been upgraded and a further 70 should be improved by 2008, said Kelly.
'There should be no place for homelessness in twenty-first-century Britain,' she told an awards ceremony in London on November 14. 'Cathy has come in, off the street. But now we must meet new challenges and deal with the changing nature of homelessness.'
Adam Sampson, director of homeless charity Shelter, welcomed the commitment to end the use of B&Bs for young people and to provide supported lodgings, but said the Treasury must fund an extra 20,000 social homes per year to help families that are homeless or trapped in bad housing.
The National Housing Federation said mediation was not an option for all young people fleeing violence and abuse. It repeated calls for more affordable accommodation as an alternative to hostels and B&B.
Paul Bettison, chair of the Local Government Association environment board, said: 'The measures are a necessary step towards making sure all young people in temporary accommodation receive the care and support they need.'
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