Youth Homelessness (Hansard, 20 October 1998)

§ Lord Whitty

For young people to be without a suitable home can blight their lives and future development and lead to the social exclusion that this Government are determined to tackle. The problems of youth homelessness go beyond the simple provision of accommodation; many other factors are involved. That is why the Government are keen to address a range of circumstances that can lead to youth homelessness.

We have established the Youth Homelessness Action Partnership to bring together senior representatives of central government, local government and the voluntary sector. The partnership's tasks are to: produce an agreed definition of youth homelessness and estimate the numbers involved; identify what works in tackling and preventing youth homelessness; and disseminate good practice to all the key players. The partnership will also contribute towards the evaluation of the impact of Government policies on youth homelessness. The work of the partnership will be underpinned by research to be 149WA commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) later this year.

We have refocused the DETR Section 180 grant programme, which provides grants to voluntary sector organisations concerned with homelessness, to give priority to projects that prevent and tackle youth homelessness. £8.1 million is available in 1998–99 and over 200 projects around England are benefiting from these grants.

The Government are committed to reducing the most extreme example of homelessness—rough sleeping—to as near to zero as possible in our towns and cities. The Prime Minister asked the Social Exclusion Unit to address the issue of rough sleeping as one of its first priorities. Its report sets a tough initial target of reducing the number of people sleeping rough throughout England to a third of its current level by 2002.

A new ministerial committee has been established to ensure effective co-ordination of government policy in preventing and tackling rough sleeping. The DETR will be responsible for co-ordination of the overall strategy for England on rough sleeping; including housing, health, access to employment and training and benefits.

We will establish a new body for London which will be responsible for reducing the numbers of people sleeping rough in the capital. The new body will have an integrated budget of £145 million over the three years until 2002 to combat rough sleeping and the causes of rough sleeping. Outside London, local authorities are in the best position to take the lead on tackling rough sleeping and single, including youth, homelessness. To support local authorities in achieving the target reduction in rough sleeping in their area, the DETR has launched a new Homelessness Action Programme which will provide £34 million over the next three years to help voluntary organisations outside London to tackle and prevent rough sleeping.

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In Scotland the Government have allocated £16 million over the three years from 1997–98 for the Rough Sleepers Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to ensure that by 2002 no one in Scotland will have to sleep rough. The Scottish Office gives financial support to the Scottish Youth Housing Network, which promotes exchanges of information between voluntary bodies, and the Scottish Homelessness Advisory Service, both of which play an important role in tackling youth homelessness. Also in Scotland, the Government have made young people under 21 who were looked after by local authorities (formerly "in care") at school-leaving age or later a statutory priority need group under the homelessness legislation.

The New Deal for 18–24 year olds is a key initiative which can help homeless young people to address their specific problems at the same time as seeking to improve their employment opportunities. Young people who are sleeping rough have the right to enter the New Deal as soon as they claim Job Seekers Allowance if they wish rather than first having to claim JSA for six months. New Deal Personal Advisors also have the discretion to offer early access to other homeless young people who are at a particular disadvantage in finding work.

We have restored a proper safety net for families and vulnerable individuals who are homeless unintentionally. The Code of Guidance on Allocations and Homelessness is currently under revision and will provide more advice to help local housing authorities develop effective strategies to assist single homeless people, including young people.

Youth homelessness can be a particular problem for young people leaving care. The Government are currently considering the recommendations made by Sir William Utting in his report on Safeguards for Children Living Away from Home and will publish their response shortly.