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The National Plan sets out £3.5 billion of investment over the next three years and represents the first comprehensive homelessness strategy in England for several years. It places strong emphasis on prevention, improved standards and better coordination across public services, all of which are welcome and necessary steps.
However, Step by Step’s analysis argues that the success of the plan will ultimately be judged not by how well it improves individual services, but by whether it enables young people to move forward through the system and into sustainable independence.
For young people, homelessness is rarely a single event. It is more often shaped by how systems respond at key transition points, such as leaving care, moving on from supported accommodation, or taking on adult housing costs without adult levels of security. While the National Plan strengthens prevention and support, it leaves unresolved questions about what happens when support succeeds but affordable housing options are not available.
The analysis highlights three key pressure points: the lack of viable move-on options from supported accommodation, the affordability gap created by the mismatch between Local Housing Allowance and real rents, and the financial cliff edge many young people face at 18 when moving from children’s services into adult systems.
The Government’s long-term ambition that no young person leaving care should experience homelessness is welcomed. However, Step by Step notes that ambition alone will not deliver change without practical mechanisms that reflect young people’s financial and developmental realities.
The full analysis is published in the Driving Change section of the Step by Step website and explores how prevention, supported accommodation and collaboration must be matched with realistic routes into independence if the National Plan is to deliver lasting change for young people.
Read the Full Analysis: Can the National Plan End Homelessness for Young People?
This Christmas, while many of us gather in warmth and comfort, young people across our communities are facing challenges no one their age should have to.
By donating to our Take a Stand This Christmas appeal, you can be a guiding star in a young person’s journey.
