UK — Centrepoint warned that rising youth unemployment and a surge in the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) are locking them out of housing and fueling a homelessness crisis across the UK. Almost 124,000 young people were homeless or at risk of homelessness in 2024–25, a 6% increase from the previous year and the third consecutive annual rise.

The UK’s youth unemployment rate stands at 14.7%, its highest level in over a decade. Without intervention, the number of Neets could rise by 25% to 1.25 million by the early 2030s, according to a government-commissioned review. Centrepoint said this trend is pushing young people out of the private rental market and into unstable or unsafe living situations.

Josh, 23, lives in Centrepoint-supported housing after losing his bar job, experiencing family breakdown, and ending up on the streets. He said he applied for hundreds of jobs over two years. "It might even be over a thousand. I’d be applying for jobs for six hours straight in one night. Then getting maybe one reply and one interview every six months, just to get rejected at the last step. You feel like there’s something about you that is a problem. It can really affect your self-image." He added, "I was looking for anything, even jobs that were miles away. I guess if you’re beaten down enough, you’ll try anything. I’d love my own space but it just feels out of reach without a proper job. And I don’t feel like I have permission to do things that I enjoy doing. I’m always waiting for the moment I’m going to have work." Josh also said, "The lack of money doesn’t just stop you from owning stuff, it also stops you from feeling whole. If you can’t go out and even afford the bus to go to where your friends are, what are you supposed to do?"

Faye, 22, who spent her teenage years in the care system, has lived in Centrepoint accommodation for nearly three years. Despite working short-term jobs and falling £800 behind on rent, she remains on a social housing waiting list for over a year. "It was about £800 of debt and I really struggled to get a job after that to pay it off. It’s frustrating because the government wants us to have jobs and there’s a whole narrative out there saying young people can’t be bothered to work," she said. "But it’s the actual stress and struggle of trying to apply for a job, and not getting the job or there just not being enough of them or you don’t have the experience. But where do you get that experience, unless you start working from the age of 10?" Faye added, "We are on the high-priority list for housing, but what about jobs? What about employment? What about college courses for us to get the careers we want and the apprenticeships? How can we afford to pay rent without that?"

Lisa Doyle, head of policy and public affairs at Centrepoint, said, "There is a huge scarcity of work opportunities for young people at the moment. And for those who are having to support themselves, getting a job can really be what allows them to live and to get on." She added, "If things go wrong, they don’t have anything to fall back on. It’s a grim situation for young people out there." Doyle also said, "Lots of the public discussion about this often seems to lay the blame at the feet of young people and that must be really, really frustrating. Young people can’t create jobs. Our advisers are talking to lots of employers who are getting hundreds of applications for entry-level jobs and only one person’s going to get that."