The number of children sleeping rough on the streets of Britain has risen by almost 7,000 in just one year.
It marks the third year in a row that youth homelessness has increased in the UK, according to the charity Centrepoint.
The damning statistics found that there were 123,934 young people – aged 16-24 – facing homelessness between April 2024 and March 2025.
This was up from 116,947 in the previous 12 months.
One such family that found themselves on the street was Michelle and her three young children.
The family from Birmingham were forced to sleep in Michelle’s car after the council refused to house them.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Michelle said: ‘It was pretty damn scary. I’m ashamed of the situation I put us through and the guilt that I carry that I had to put my kids through this.’
Youth homelessness rose across each of the four nations except for Northern Ireland, where the figure fell slightly from 2,896 to 2,889.
One such family that found themselves on the street was Michelle (pictured) and her three young children. The family from Birmingham were forced to sleep in Michelle’s car after the council refused to house them
Two homeless people in Victoria, central London. Damning statistics from Centrepoint found that there were 123,934 young people – aged 16-24 – facing homelessness between April 2024 and March 2025.
Wales had the largest percentage increase of eight per cent, from 5,433 to 5,856.
While England saw a six per cent rise from 101,184 to 107,585 and in Scotland the number of young homeless people rose from 7,434 to 7,604 which marked two per cent.
Balbir Kaur Chatrik, Centrepoint’s director of policy and prevention, said: ‘Youth homelessness is at record levels, and this is another significant increase in the number of young people without a safe place to stay.
‘The experience of homelessness is incredibly traumatic for anyone – but it has a particular effect on young people. At a time when most of their peers are thinking of university or starting careers, increasing numbers of the most vulnerable young people are stuck – often in terrifying situations – trying to navigate to support alone.’
In December, the Government published its long-awaited homelessness strategy for England, pledging the number of long-term rough sleepers will be halved in the next five years as well as more households being prevented from becoming homeless.
As part of its strategy to tackle the ‘profound challenge’ of homelessness, ministers set out how they will use £3.5 billion of investment including through efforts to help those on the streets and to stop others falling into crisis.
Ms Chatrik said: ‘By emphasising prevention and support, the Government’s Ending Homelessness Plan marked an important step in the right direction.
‘We now urgently need to see a move from planning to delivery because, until we do, thousands more will be left waiting for meaningful action on night buses, strangers’ sofas, or worse.’
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: ‘These figures underline why it is so important that action is taken to end the unacceptable homelessness crisis we inherited.
‘This won’t be fixed overnight but we’ve already taken decisive action by ending Section 21 “no fault” evictions, committing billions of new funding as part of the National Plan to End Homelessness, and delivering the biggest increase in affordable housing in a generation.’
The Daily Mail have approached Birmingham City Council for a comment.