23,000 young and homeless

Huge number on street at Xmas, warns charity

- MIKEY SMITH

ALMOST 23,000 young people could face homelessness this Christmas across England, a youth charity has predicted.

And Centrepoint warned the true figure could be even higher due to hidden homelessness such as sofasurfing by people who do not present themselves to authorities.

The South East, London and the West Midlands are expected to have the highest numbers of 16-24 yearolds enduring this challenge during the winter period, they revealed.

It used its youth homelessness databank, which has been collecting such information and tracking the trends since 2017, to forecast its estimate of 22,800 young people between October and December presenting as or at risk of homeless.