Quarter of homeless people have been in care, study finds
MORE than a quarter of homeless people have been in care at some point in their lives, a charity has found.
In its report Homelessness and Children’s Social Care in England, the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) collated data on homelessness and those leaving care and found more than a quarter of people experiencing homelessness had been in care at some point in their lives.
It also found that young people in care are much more likely to experience mental illness, have poorer physical health, use illicit drugs and be LGBTQ+, and less likely to be in employment, education and training as a young adult – which are all associated with a higher risk of homelessness.
The charity admitted that the quality of data revealing the link between care experience and homelessness is “patchy”, but said it is possible to “piece together a picture” from multiple sources, including the Government, Office for National Statistics and various charities.
Research conducted by homelessness charity Centrepoint in 2017 found 26 per cent of young people leaving care had “sofa-surfed” and 14 per cent had slept on the street. Data published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government in 2018, meanwhile, found that approximately 10 per cent of people sleeping rough in London were in care as a child.
The CHI said: “Compared to peers who have never been in care, they are less likely to be able to return home to their parents if things get tough.
“With 64 per cent of young adults aged 18-24 living at home with their parents, this is not trivial. As such, it can be no surprise that young people who have been in care are more likely to experience homelessness in adulthood than their peers without care experience.”
Local councils have a statutory duty to house any children at risk of homelessness. However, at the age of 18, “this changes dramatically”.
The report concludes: “Although local authorities have legal responsibility for young people who have been in care until they turn 25, foster placements and places in residential care will end on or before the child’s 18th birthday.” As a result, “many leaving care in their late teens struggle with managing accommodation, food, employment and training”.
The charity said three factors were at play: the lack of the social and economic net that birth families provide, care leaving individuals more “institutionalised” and lacking practical skills, and the fact that such individuals are likely to have experienced significant trauma.