A report examined the cost of student accommodation in the United Kingdom. It said that, even for the cheapest university or private sector accommodation available, students needed to spend high proportions of their loan and grant on their accommodation. It called on governments and universities to work towards making accommodation more affordable (including making a proportion of new university accommodation affordable), to make the cost of accommodation more clear and give better information about London weightings, and to support students' financial management capability.

Source: Set Up to Fail? The reality of money management at university, The Money Charity

Links: Report | Money Charity press release | Guardian report

Date: 2014-Aug

A report by a committee of MPs said that the suitability and safety of transitional living and support arrangements for young people leaving care needed to improve. It recommended that the government should: consult on a framework of individual regulatory oversight for all accommodation provision that fell within the category 'other arrangements'; draw on existing models of good supported living practice to inform clear guidance; and ban the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for this group.

Source: Into Independence, Not Out of Care: 16 plus care options, Second Report (Session 2014–15), HC 259, House of Commons Education Select Committee, TSO

Links: Report | Childrens Society press release | LGA press release | Who Cares press release | Guardian comment | Inside Housing report

Date: 2014-Jul

A report examined the housing needs and experiences of young people leaving care. It said that: young people often felt unprepared for independent living; there was often a lack of choice of where to move to and minimal time given to prepare mentally and practically; the downward pressure on housing benefit, lack of appropriate housing, and the bedroom tax made finding accommodation difficult; and some young people ended up in poor quality or unsafe housing. The report welcomed the Staying Put initiative, allowing young people to remain in foster care to age 21, but called on local authorities to extend their support for all care leavers to age 25. It also recommended for local authorities to develop better emergency provision, so that they did not need to use bed and breakfast accommodation for care leavers whose accommodation had broken down.

Source: On My Own: The accommodation needs of young people leaving care in England, Barnardo's

Links: Report | Barnardos press release

Date: 2014-Jul

A report examined reasons for adult young people living at home with their parents and the areas in which this was most prevalent. It said that one-quarter of 20 to 34-year-old working adults in England were living with their parents, and a lack of affordable housing was the most common reason.

Source: The Clipped Wing Generation: Analysis of adults living at home with their parents, Shelter

Links: Report | Shelter press release | Inside Housing report

Date: 2014-Jul

A report examined students' experiences of the private rented sector in the United Kingdom. It said that over three quarters had experienced at least one problem with the condition of their home, most commonly damp but also infestations of mice, slugs, and other creatures. More than half had experienced delays in repairs and around half said that their property was inadequately insulated, or was draughty. Of those who had left a property, 43 per cent said that they had some or all of their deposit withheld. When asked what they would like to see changed, 66 per cent said they wanted a minimum condition standard, 52 per cent said a ban on letting agent fees, and 51 per cent wanted more services to ensure landlords/agents fulfilled their duties. The report made a range of recommendations, including for the banning of letting agent fees and regulation of letting agents across the United Kingdom; more co-ordinated support for students who experience difficulties; support for energy efficiency; and accreditation schemes for student property.

Source: Homes Fit for Study: The state of student housing in the UK, National Union of Students

Links: Report | NUS press release | BBC report | Guardian report

Date: 2014-Mar

An article examined the concept of the 'psychologically informed environment' and attempts at implementation by one youth homelessness service for very challenging young people who had been homeless, were leaving care, or had left custody.

Source: Jeremy Woodcock and Jamie Gill, 'Implementing a psychologically informed environment in a service for homeless young people', Housing Care and Support, Volume 17 Number 1

Links: Abstract

Date: 2014-Mar

An article examined the experiences of homeless people aged seventeen to twenty-five years in England, who were resettled into independent accommodation. It described outcomes for their housing, finances, employment, and access to support services.

Source: Maureen Crane, Anthony Warnes, Jennifer Barnes, and Sarah Coward, 'The resettlement of homeless young people: their experiences and housing outcomes', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 2

Links: Abstract

Date: 2014-Mar

An article examined the occurrence and determinants of young people returning to live at the parental home. It said that the decision to return coincided with turning points in an individual's life course, such as leaving full-time education, unemployment, or partnership dissolution.

Source: Juliet Stone, Ann Berrington, and Jane Falkingham, 'Gender, turning points, and boomerangs: returning home in young adulthood in Great Britain', Demography, Volume 51 Number 1

Links: Abstract | University of Southampton press release

Date: 2014-Feb