Nearly 2,000 youngsters will not have a safe place to sleep Youngsters with nowhere safe to sleep at Christmas

NEW data collected by Centrepoint suggests that 1,929 young people across the East Midlands aged 16-25 will have nowhere safe to sleep this festive season.

The charity warns most will face dangerous choices in a bid to find somewhere to spend the night, and instead of being surrounded by festive excitement, will feel scared, unsafe and like no-one cares about them.

The figures are based on the results of data provided by local authorities on the number of young people presenting to them as homeless over the

Christmas years.

Some 76% of all councils in England responded, and Centrepoint used these figures to provide estimates on the number likely to seek help between November 2019 and January 2020 at a regional level.

Nationally, the charity estimates that some 22,250 young people across England will be homeless or at risk of homelessness this Christmas.

A separate survey of young people who have recently experienced homelessness revealed some of the daunting challenges that they face.

Nearly three in every four said that being homeless had a negative impact on their mental health - with more than two period in previous in every three saying that they felt that no-one cared about them and they felt lonely.

Feelings of shame and isolation are contributing factors to why many young people feel like they can’t tell anyone they are homeless.

As a result, many are forced to make impossible choices about where to sleep.

One in every three homeless young people say they have spent the night in a park because they had nowhere else to stay - and 17% have done so more than once.

More than one in every four say they have spent the night in a tent, and one in 10 have spent the night on a night bus.

However, it’s not just those who are sleeping out in the cold who are at risk - “hidden homelessness” continues to be a major issue.

Many young people don’t believe they fit the stereotype of a ‘homeless’ person because they may have a roof over their heads for the night - despite whether it’s safe or not.

The survey from Centrepoint revealed that nearly three quarters of homeless young people have sofa-surfed.

Meanwhile, more than one in three have stayed in an abusive home with a parent or guardian because they had nowhere else to stay.

At just 16, Jamie was referred to Centrepoint by social services due to neglect. Since then, she has sought help from Centrepoint

on four different occasions over a period of six years.

During this turbulent period of her life, she has moved back and forth from her mums, stayed on friend’s sofas, with boyfriends, and at a particularly low point, a tent in a park.

“I had to sleep rough at least three times. It was really scary.

“I have a tent and I slept in a park for 24 hours at a time and then sought help from the hostel again. I don’t know how people sleep in tents on the concrete, it’s heartbreaking.

“I had no money, food or clothes at one point. I ended up stripping for a couple of weeks.

“It was just a means to an end. People did try and encourage me to get into dealing drugs which is tempting when you’ve got no money - but thankfully I didn’t go down that route,” she said.

Seyi Obakin, CEO of Centrepoint, said: “In the last 50 years, thanks to our supporters, Centrepoint has been there for thousands of young people when they had nowhere else to turn.

“However, for every person we reach, there are hundreds more who need support.

“With the problem of youth homeless growing, we need to pull together and take urgent action to protect vulnerable young people and make sure every young person has a safe place to call home and the future they deserve.”