£10 million extra to end youth homelessness

An extra £10 million has been announced by the Welsh First Minister to support the Welsh government’s mission to end youth homelessness in Wales by 2027.

The Welsh government will work with partners, including housing associations and the End Youth Homelessness Cymru Coalition, to help young people avoid crisis situations and support them into stable accommodation.

The campaign, led by First Minister Carwyn Jones, the actor and activist Michael Sheen, and the homelessness charity Llamau, seeks to ensure no young person is left homeless within the next 10 years.

Speaking at Llamau’s headquarters in Cardiff, Jones said: “In Wales, we have some of the most progressive homelessness and social services legislation in the world, which has prevented 11,514 households from becoming homeless between its introduction in April 2015 and the end of June 2017.

“And yet I continue to hear of young people becoming homeless after leaving care, young people dropping out of education, young people in custody and young people with nowhere else to stay but a Bed and Breakfast. This is not good enough.

“Wales must lead the way on tackling homelessness. I want us to be bold – to take new approaches, focus on interventions that make a real difference and work with partners to help young people avoid crisis situations and support them into stable accommodation.”

Frances Beecher, CEO of Llamau, said: “We believe that we have a wonderful opportunity in Wales to deliver real change. Estimates show that every year over 7,000 young people ask for help with homelessness, but we know that many more young people don’t know where to turn or who to ask for help when they become homeless.

“Today’s announcement shows the Welsh government’s commitment to tackling this issue, and we look forward to working closely with them to ensure that young people who are at risk of becoming homeless are supported as soon as they need it, and to ensure that youth homelessness is a thing of the past.”