Decision to remove entitlement from claimants aged 18 to 21 will put more young people on the streets, critics say

Opposition parties and homelessness charities have reacted with dismay after the government pushed through plans to strip entitlement to housing benefit from claimants aged 18 to 21, saying the move was likely to put more young people on the streets.

The plans, first outlined in the 2015 Conservative manifesto, provide exemptions for claimants with children, as well as those considered vulnerable or unable to live with their parents, for example if they are abroad or if doing so could put the young person at risk.

There had been speculation that the measure, devised under David Cameron, could be dropped as part of Theresa May’s self-styled more inclusive approach. However, the government measure introducing the change was put before parliament on Friday and now comes into force at the start of April.

Roger Harding, head of campaigns for Shelter, said the homelessness charity was “deeply disappointed” that ministers had taken the step at a time when the number of rough sleepers was rising.

“They have failed to heed the dire warning that tampering with this vital safety net will result in more young people being left to fend for themselves on the streets,” he said.



“The option of being able to live with your parents is not one that is open to everyone. These cuts will affect those who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in desperately difficult situations.”

Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of Crisis, said that while the government had made some positive steps on combating homelessness, the housing benefit announcement “runs entirely counter to those aims and could have disastrous consequences”.

Labour’s housing spokesman, John Healey, said the decision was disgraceful. He said: “These young people are old enough to fight for their country, but in Theresa May’s Britain not old enough to get the same help with housing costs as everyone else.

“Ministers would do well to remember that the shameful doubling of rough sleeping since 2010 is a direct result of decisions they have made. With this decision they will make the scandal of rising homelessness worse still.”

A policy paper by several homelessness charities in 2015 cited research from Heriot Watt University calculating that once exceptions and costs incurred on other public services were taken into account, the policy could save a maximum of £3.3m a year.

This meant that if the policy led to 140 more young people becoming homeless, it would incur a net drain on public finances.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “We want to make sure that 18- to 21-year-olds do not slip straight into a life on benefits, which is why we are helping young people get the training, skills and experience they need to move into a job and build a career.

“This government is delivering on its commitment to ensure young people in the benefit system face the same choices as young people who work but may not be able to afford to leave home.

“We know that personal circumstances will differ so we have worked closely with charities and the housing sector to develop a fair and robust set of exemptions to protect the most vulnerable young people.”