Youth Homelessness and Mental Health in 2025: Challenges and Solutions

Before we get started

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Trends and the Current Situation

Mental health challenges and homelessness are deeply interconnected. Mental health issues can both contribute to homelessness and be exacerbated by structural factors such as inadequate support, poverty and unstable housing. Social exclusion, trauma and family breakdown can also be contributing factors, leaving certain groups of people more vulnerable, such as young people who are LGBTQ+. As a result, people experiencing homelessness are significantly more likely to face mental health difficulties than the wider population. 

Crisis has reported that 45% of people experiencing homelessness have a recognised mental health issue, rising to 80% for individuals who are rough sleeping. Young people experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable. In a survey by Centrepoint of homeless young people across England, nearly three-quarters said that their mental health had been adversely affected from experiencing homelessness. 

In our 2024 Frontline Worker Survey, staff on the frontlines of homelessness identified a lack of access to mental health services, with 77% of respondents saying it was either ‘very difficult’ or ‘difficult’ to access mental health support for the people they are supporting. Without access to support, mental health struggles can deepen, and many go without the care they need. 

Ursula Hofeldt, Policy & Participation Manager at Cyrenians, who facilitate our Scottish Frontline Network, shared that many young people are experiencing “crippling anxiety,” especially post-pandemic. A generation of young people have missed out on formative developmental and social experiences, leaving them more vulnerable to poor mental health and housing instability. “That prevents you from engaging in society, in school, in education — all of those things that are really protective factors around homelessness risk,” she said. 

How the System is Failing Young People

Mental health support for young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness is under huge pressure. For many people, it’s just not available at all. Between 2023–2024, 118,134 young people aged between 16 and 24 were homeless or at risk of homelessness in the UK, highlighting the need for effective, specialised mental health services. 

One of the biggest issues for young people is the transition from child to adult mental health services. While children under 18 can get support through programmes like Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) which is funded by the NHS, there’s often a ‘cliff edge’ when they turn 18. Many young people find that they can’t access adult mental health services (AMHS), which are fragmented and overstretched, leaving many having to deal with their mental health on their own. 

Young people who are referred to AMHS often face long waiting times for treatment to start. Ursula shared that this transition is a particularly vulnerable time. “That’s when you need the most support,” she said, “but that’s when you have that cliff edge.” Young people supported by Cyrenians have shared that they often feel left without support at the point when everything else in their lives is changing, such as housing or education. Without consistent, age-appropriate care, many fall through the cracks. In addition, only 25% of young people were transitioned from CAMHS to AMHS. For young people already facing housing instability or trauma, this can be devastating. 

Ursula also explained that when young people have moved into more stable housing, their mental health issues don’t just disappear — in fact, they often surface more strongly. “That’s when it hits, all the stuff that you’ve maybe just repressed and pushed away. When you’re in a relatively good place, that’s actually when it gets harder and then there’s not a lot of support for that because your crisis is ‘over’,” she said.  

This lack of support is made worse by other pressures. For example, recent government proposals to cut disability benefits will make things even worse for young people. Our CEO, Duncan Shrubsole, recently spoke to Inside Housing about the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP). He explained that tightening eligibility for PIP could cause “massive issues” for housing and housing benefit.  

Under the government’s reforms, people aged under 22 could lose any ability to access PIP. Without these benefits, they would be unable to claim the Local Housing Allowance one-bed rate, meaning that young single people who are seeking rehousing could be forced to take up shared accommodation, which might not be appropriate for many young people who struggle with mental ill-health. This can be “incredibly challenging” for them, Mr Shrubsole said. 

“There is a group of particularly vulnerable young people who can’t live at home,” he said. “That will raise youth homelessness.” 

The changes will also impact families, as more households will see their housing benefit capped, which could make accommodation unaffordable for large families. For large families who are already struggling financially, they will be pushed to the brink and “may well lose accommodation they have been moved into or no longer be able to move into it”. This will result in more young people facing homelessness. 

Without adequate mental health care and financial support, many young people are left to face serious emotional challenges and housing instability on their own. This delays recovery and increases the risk of longer-term homelessness and worse mental health outcomes. 

LGBTQ+ Youth and Mental Health

LGBTQ+ youth often face a higher risk of both mental health issues and homelessness, with 24% of young people experiencing homelessness identifying as LGBTQ+. There are many factors that can contribute to this, such as discrimination, family rejection and a lack of representation in services. 

The mental health challenges LGBTQ+ youth face is often a consequence of family and community rejection. Family rejection is among the leading causes of homelessness for LGBTQ+ youth. Some young people may be pushed away from home after they open up to their families about their sexuality. This could be in the form of emotional neglect or physical banishment. Family rejection can lead to worsened mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. 

Akt is a leading charity supporting LGBTQ+ youth. They facilitated a three-year pilot project called Trans Pathway, which was funded by our Frontline Fund. Akt has conducted extensive research into these issues. Their findings have shown that 50% of LGBTQ+ youth fear being evicted if they express their LGBTQ+ identity to family members. In addition, only 13% of young people in their survey felt supported by their parents or step–parents when experiencing homelessness, underscoring the critical role family support plays in preventing homelessness and promoting mental wellbeing. 

In addition to family rejection, LGBTQ+ youth often encounter discrimination when seeking support. Akt’s survey found that 59% of LGBTQ+ young people reported experiencing some form of discrimination while accessing homelessness services. This underrepresentation and lack of understanding from mainstream services makes it even harder for young people to access the help they need, further compounding mental health struggles.

Mental Health Fund in Action: Charity Support That’s Changing Lives

MAC-UK is a London-based mental health charity that works with young people who are socially excluded and at increased risk of involvement with the criminal justice system. They are one of three organisations supported by our Mental Health Fund to test new approaches to providing support around tackling mental health and homelessness. 

MAC-UK offers a holistic approach to mental health care, aiming to build trusting relationships and improve the mental wellbeing of young people experiencing homelessness. Through one-on-one support and group sessions, young people can actively participate and shape sessions around their needs. 

Through their vital work, MAC-UK is expanding the research into barriers young people face in accessing mental health services. Their work aims to improve awareness of good practice in the wider community and build a stronger network for at-risk youth. 

TGP Cymru is another example of a vital organisation improving the lives of young people experiencing homelessness through targeted mental health support. For three years, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity’s Frontline Fund supported TGP Cymru‘s Team Around The Tenancy (TATT) – a service for young people aged 16-25 who are experiencing housing issues.  

TATT supports young people across North Wales by offering professional and peer support, through bespoke sessions, group days out and activities such as craft days. By working with young people, they provide advice on housing issues such as sofa surfing, homelessness or accessing emergency accommodation. Our Frontline Fund allowed the team to expand, hiring more support staff and providing more all-round support for young people in Wales. 

“We tend to sway towards doing things with and not for the young people. We work holistically with them, depending on their situation and their needs, and we work to empower them to be able to work through these issues.”

– Shaun Morris, Practitioner, TGP Cymru

How You Can Help

With rising numbers of young people experiencing homelessness, along with gaps in mental health support and funding, it’s clear that more needs to be done to address these interconnected issues. 

Young people facing homelessness and mental health challenges need your support now more than ever. By donating to St Martin‑in‑the‑Fields Charity, you can directly fund life‑changing projects through our Mental Health Fund, enabling vital services that improve both housing stability and emotional wellbeing for young people across the UK.