Key homelessness statistics

135,800

young people

experienced or were at risk of homelessness in 2022-23
54 %

became homeless

because of a relationship breakdown with family and friends
20 %

of care leavers

experience homelessness within 2 years of leaving care
24 %

of the youth homelessness population

identifies as LGBTQ+, and are 12 times more likely to experience homelessness

27 %

of people accessing homelessness services

are from BAME communities
48 %

of adults over 25

who were homeless, first became homeless aged 20 or younger
35 %

of young homeless people

have mental health problems
16 %

of the general population

are diagnosed with a mental health condition, half as many as young people experiencing homelessness

28 %

of people in the UK

believe people sleeping rough are to blame for the fact they've ended up on the streets
72 %

of the population

believe rough sleepers could get themselves off the street if they wanted to
20 %

of 16-25 year-olds

sofa surfed in 2014, and roughly half of these did so for more than a month
225,000

young people in London

have stayed in an insecure or unsafe place because they had no safe place to call home

4 million

people each year

fall in to the category of the "hidden homeless", sofa surfing or living as a concealed adult in a household unit
£ 20,128

is the estimated cost

of a single person sleeping rough in the UK for 12 months

Sources:

Find out more

LandAid supports charities across the UK who give young people experiencing homelessness the lifeline that they so desperately need.

Young people’s stories

Find out more about the projects that have given young people a safe and affordable place to call home.

Projects we’ve supported