By Poh Hui Xian
ITV’s Tonight programme exposed that young people will be forced to experience homelessness after the government’s proposal of benefit cuts.
A survey from ITV involving more than 200 charitable institutions showed that, 60 of them might face closure in the coming years. These organizations come together to help more than 6,000 young adults every week.
This is mainly because the Government have decided that, young adults aged 18 to 21 will no longer eligible for housing benefits starting from April 2017. While the Government also proposed to limit the amount for social housing residents of any age could claim.
Charities like Changing Lives, which help young adults who are homeless, say those welfare are vital for homeless young adults to live their life.
However, Marcus Jones MP, the local government minister revealed to the show that the rate of homeless young people is declining by 14 percent since 2011.
“We’ve put in additional money – £139m is going to a number of charities and different organisations to help reduce homelessness.”, he added.
A research by Centrepoint charity reckons around 80,000 cases of homelessness occurs among young people every year. During 2015, the charity saw 136,000 people came through their doors in England and Wales because of homelessness or at risk, thus they expect the figures may rise again this year.
According to a spokesperson from Centrepoint, the Government’s consideration of excluding several groups who would impact by the cut, poses a danger to large number of immature people in the means of safety concern by forcing them to live on the streets.
It is already extremely hard for a young person to prove they have nowhere to turn when family relationship breakdown is the major reason of homelessness among young adults.
He combined that very less families are prepared to recognize that they are reluctant to accommodate their own children.
The benefit cuts will threaten the chances of young people to break away from homelessness, and to have stable shelters and jobs.
And Kate Webb, head of policy at Shelter, said:
“We’re ripping the safety net away from people who need it. We are going to end up with an increasingly divided society between a lucky few who are able to go on the housing ladder and the rest of us who are increasingly left out in the cold.”
Claimants who own a child or are deemed specifically vulnerable are the only exceptions to the new housing welfare regulations.
7younghearts 