Living or surviving? Benefits, barriers, and opportunities for young people transitioning out of homelessness

This summary presents findings from research exploring the impact of low income and the social security system, particularly the low Universal Credit rate for under 25s, on young peoples’ living standards and opportunities to transition out of homelessness. The research was funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority Homelessness Taskforce, facilitated by St Basils, and carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, an independent research centre based at Loughborough University.

Supported accommodation can offer the stability and support young people who have experienced or been at risk of homelessness need to make the next steps into independence. Access to benefits can potentially help plug the gap left by family support and an adequate social security system is critical to young peoples’ ability to make this transition successfully. Entering work can be part of this journey, helping young people to move out of supported accommodation in a sustainable way. However, the complexity and mechanisms of the social security system can bring challenges for people in supported housing taking up work to facilitate this move. It is important to understand more about what this means for young peoples’ living standards, and their ability to access affordable housing and secure work that will support independent living. The findings add to evidence on the impact of current policies and broader structures affecting this group.

The research aims to answer the following questions:

1. How does the social security level (and system) impact on young people’s ability to make ends meet and plan for their future housing situations?

• What are the opportunities and barriers they face – to employment, housing, education, decent living standards, health?

• What helps / hinders young people moving towards good quality, stable work and towards living independently in appropriate and affordable housing? What support is available for young people, and what could help?

2. How do young peoples’ employment circumstances interact with housing situations, and shape their ability to make ends meet and plan for the future?

The study comprised 21 in-depth interviews with young people aged 17 – 25 across the West Midlands who were living in or had moved on from supported housing after experiencing or been at risk of homelessness. The interviews were conducted in August and September 2022, either face to face or online.