15 June 2007
Local authorities with innovative schemes to tackle youth homelessness are to share a total of £500,000.
The grants were announced by housing minister Yvette Cooper on June 11 as new figures showed that homelessness is continuing to fall after reaching record levels almost two years ago.
A total of 87,120 households in England were housed in temporary accommodation at the end of March — down by 3% on the previous quarter and by 10% on the same period in 2006. In September 2005, the figure stood at 101,020.
The number of new families accepted as homeless during the first quarter of 2007 dropped to 17,230 — the lowest total since the early 1980s. But more than a third of cases dealt with by councils involve young people under 25.
Twenty-seven local authorities and partnerships will receive money to spend on crash pads for teenagers, mediation schemes to resolve family breakdowns and other projects.
Ministers are committed to scrapping the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for 16 and 17-year-olds by 2010. 'Children and young people can face the most severe consequences if they experience homelessness, which can haunt them for the rest of their lives,' said Cooper.
'That is why we need to do more to help teenagers and young people who find themselves homeless alone. This funding will help local authorities implement plans to tackle and reduce youth homelessness.'
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