Hike in national insurance may put more young people on the streets, say charities

Earlier this year, Patrick was sleeping in a field. He had nowhere else to go after fleeing an abusive ex-partner.

- JABED AHMED

After years spent sofa-surfing following a fallout with his parents over his drug use, which saw him kicked out of the family home, Patrick found himself with nowhere to turn.

“I never really had an address or somewhere to call home,” Patrick told The Independent. “I came down to London after leaving my parents’ house. I was sofa-surfing for a while, then I moved in with an ex-partner who was abusive. But early this year, I thought, ‘No, I can’t do it any more. It's not healthy for me.’ I ended up sleeping in a field.”

Patrick is one of 136,000 18- to 24-year-olds who faced homelessness in the past year, according to latest estimates. Around 1 in 52 young people are homeless or at risk of homelessness in the UK, according to the EveryYouth network of charities.

But Patrick was fortunate. With the help of youth homelessness charity the Amber Foundation, he was quickly able to get back on his feet. “They have given me opportunities to volunteer in trades like brickwork, roofing, carpentry, painting and decorating, and I’ve now received qualifications from that,” Patrick said. “We also have an on-site counsellor, who I have completed 12 sessions with to help me with my low self-esteem and negative thinking.”