On November 27, 2025, new government data revealed a troubling surge in homelessness among young people leaving care in England, exposing a crisis that has activists, charities, and policymakers demanding urgent reforms. The figures, published by the BBC and echoed by homelessness organizations, show that care leavers—those transitioning out of state care at 18—are facing homelessness at far higher rates than their peers, with many falling through the cracks of a system struggling to provide adequate support.
According to the BBC, households with care leavers aged 18 to 20 threatened with homelessness rose by 9% over the past year, while those already homeless and owed a relief duty grew by 6%. These increases starkly outpace the general population, where threats of homelessness climbed by just 0.3% and actual homelessness by 1%. Last year’s numbers painted an even grimmer picture: homelessness among the youngest care leavers jumped by 21%, compared to a 12% rise more broadly. The result? A staggering one-third of care leavers become homeless within their first two years of independence.
Behind these statistics are real lives. Kerrie Portman, now 27, shared her harrowing experience with the BBC. After leaving care at 18, she found herself repeatedly homeless, sleeping rough and enduring abuse and violence. “It was incredibly terrifying and incredibly traumatic and damaging,” Portman recounted. “I didn’t have any sort of safety net, so I didn’t have any family to fall back on for support… being a woman I was obviously [also] more at risk.” She described taking long bus rides to avoid the dangers of the streets, seeking shelter in fast-food restaurants or public bathrooms, but still unable to escape harm. The instability, she said, made it nearly impossible to find work or pursue education—she dropped out of Cambridge University due to lack of support and spent years just trying to survive. Now, after multiple attempts, she’s studying again through the Open University and has finally found stable accommodation. But she fears for others in similar situations: “All of the negative outcomes are rising. And then the more disadvantaged a person is, the more that leads to more disadvantage.”
The systemic issues facing care leavers extend beyond housing. BBC figures show that 40% of care leavers aged 19 to 21 are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs)—a stark contrast to the 15% rate among all young people. The lack of a family safety net, combined with limited state support, leaves many care leavers vulnerable to a cycle of poverty and instability.
Clare Bracey, director of Policy, Campaigns and Communication at the charity Become, described the current situation as “unacceptable.” She told the BBC, “No child leaving care should face homelessness. At 18, they face a devastating care cliff where vital support vanishes and they’re expected to become independent overnight.”
The wider homelessness landscape in England is equally concerning. According to The Big Issue, 147,870 households sought council help to prevent homelessness this year, with nearly 40% of cases linked to the end of private rented tenancies. While there was a modest 2.6% decrease in evictions due to landlords selling or re-letting properties, the private renting system remains, in the words of Nye Jones of Generation Rent, “the biggest cause of homelessness.” He warned, “Councils have no choice but to push people back into it, causing a revolving door of insecurity and misery.”
The Labour government has responded with the Renters’ Rights Act, which will ban section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions from May 2026, aiming to give tenants greater security. However, campaigners caution that landlords can still evict tenants if they wish to sell, and sudden rent hikes could undermine these new protections.
Additional pressures are compounding the crisis. The number of households facing homelessness after leaving Home Office asylum accommodation rose by 10% to 3,820, following a policy change in September that halved the “move-on” period for new refugees from 56 to 28 days. Meanwhile, households becoming homeless after leaving institutions such as hospitals, prisons, or care placements jumped by 13.1% to 10,860. The Big Issue also reported that 132,410 households, including 172,420 children, were living in temporary accommodation as of June, with 41,250 of these placed outside their local area, often in hotels or B&Bs.
The fate of care leavers is particularly dire. The number of 18 to 20-year-olds in this group facing homelessness increased from 4,310 to 4,610 in the past year, representing more than one in 10 care leavers. Even more alarming, 600 young people became homeless immediately after leaving care placements such as foster care or children’s homes—a clear sign of what Linda Briheim-Crookall of Coram Voice called “a failure of planning.”
Children’s Commissioner for England Rachel De Souza has called for urgent action. She told the BBC, “The state acted as parent for care leavers, and so on issues such as housing and benefits, they needed priority.” De Souza advocates for priority housing for the 50,000 to 60,000 care leavers aged 17 to 21 and for benefits that reflect the realities of setting up a home alone. “I think we need to push really hard,” she said. “I’m not confident... because Westminster is not very good at thinking about the long-term realities of young people’s lives when the fixes are not easy.”
Labour MP John Whitby, who has fostered 26 children over two decades, is pressing for younger care leavers to receive the same Universal Credit rate as those over 25, noting that their obligations are the same. He also expressed concern about the “flat lining” number of foster parents and emphasized the importance of basic support: “If the basics are in place, then they’re not being evicted, then they can concentrate on the things they need to do, which is either get their education or training or job or whatever it is—much more aspirational things. You’ve got to have the basics in place.”
The government insists it is committed to “bold steps” to tackle homelessness. A spokesperson said the forthcoming Homelessness Strategy will “set out bold steps to prevent homelessness and deliver lasting solutions,” and highlighted record investments of over £1 billion and £39 billion for social and affordable housing. Homelessness minister Alison McGovern echoed this, stating, “Everyone deserves a roof over their head, yet these figures show too many people are at risk.”
Yet, as Denise Hatton of YMCA England & Wales pointed out to The Big Issue, “stagnation should not be mistaken for progress.” Behind the statistics are thousands of individuals and families facing entrenched pressures—from insecure renting and family breakdowns to the rising use of temporary accommodation. Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link, argued that the upcoming strategy must deliver “an emergency response to the immediate crisis, and an ambitious, resourced plan to transform homelessness support.”
With the government’s long-awaited strategy on the horizon, the stakes could hardly be higher. For England’s care leavers and the growing ranks of those facing homelessness, the next steps will determine whether the cycle of disadvantage continues—or whether real change is finally within reach.
