Rise in youth unemployment driving more to homelessness, UK charities say

The growing number of young people not in work or education is driving more into unstable housing or homelessness, charities have warned. A government-commissioned review into the crisis facing young people in the UK said there could be a 25% rise in young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) to 1.25 million by the early 2030s without intervention. Alan Milburn, its author, said the “instability of worklessness” was increasing the risk of young people ending up homeless and “deteriorating outcomes” for people who were already disadvantaged. Almost 124,000 young people were homeless or at risk of homelessness in the UK in 2024-25, a 6% increase on the previous year and the third consecutive year numbers had risen. In the north-west, where youth homelessness is highest, it rose by more than a third. The Big Issue said there had been a 60% increase in vendors aged 18 to 24 since 2022, up from 449 to 720. In the past two years, Josh, 23, has applied for hundreds of jobs while struggling to keep a roof over his head. “It might even be over a thousand,” he said. “I’d be applying for jobs for six hours straight in one night. Then getting maybe one reply and one interview every six months, just to get rejected at the last step. You feel like there’s something about you that is a problem. It can really affect your self-image.” Josh lives in supported housing run by Centrepoint, a youth homelessness charity. …