‘This is spiralling’: alarm as youth homelessness soars in UK since Christmas

Charities report record demand for services as pressure increases on the government to address the problem nationally

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of homeless young people in the UK since Christmas, charities have warned.

The New Horizon Youth Centre in London said a record number of young people had asked it for help in the first week of January, while the charity Akt, which supports homeless LGBTQ+ young people, said it had seen more referrals than it would expect in a month. Roundabout in Sheffield and YMCA Trinity, which operates in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, also reported increases.