Young people
192. The large number of young people in need of
homes presents its own problem. We have heard that 16 and 17 year
olds have expectations of what housing they can be placed in that
does not reflect reality. We asked if sharing would be a solution
to the lack of one person units. Mr Jeremy Drew, of the Foyer
Federation, said one issue lay in
"recognising the complexity of the need
of the homeless person in the first place and recognising that
there are mental health issues, a history of drug/alcohol abuse
perhaps, abuse and so on, a whole host of issues that are there
and very often multiple needs, and to expect that person to be
able to live in a shared environment, I think, may be a step too
far".[245]
Mr Howard Sinclair, from Broadway, added
"when people are in unsupported, shared
accommodation, they are very vulnerable. They do not know who
is moving next door to them, they have no right to say who is
living next door to them and actually I think that leads to some
of the difficulties and exacerbates the situation for some people".[246]
We realise that people who have become homeless so
young are likely to be in need of high support and shared accommodation
would not be appropriate. We feel however that local authorities
with a surplus of family housing might consider converting such
accommodation into bedsit accommodation for adults with low support
needs.
239 
