I had a good meeting this week with Caring in Bristol, a registered charity, to discuss its plans to help young homeless people in the city.

Youth homelessness and youth unemployment have risen sharply during Covid. Young people are already three times more likely to be in insecure employment than adults, and one third of 18-24 year-olds (excluding students) have lost jobs or been furloughed as a result of the pandemic.

Here in the South West, the number of young people claiming benefits increased 130% from February 2020-February 2021. With a severe shortage of affordable housing, it’s not surprising that homelessness charities like Centrepoint have also see a big rise in the number of young people needing their help.

I look forward to working with Caring in Bristol on their plans to get vulnerable young people off the streets, give them shelter and help them get into employment, college and other worthwhile activities like volunteering or creative pursuits.