When young people become homeless, both their physical and mental health are at high risk. They are more likely to become physically ill, experience depression, or even death by suicide. Young people experiencing homelessness are especially vulnerable because of their lack of experience of the world. In many cases, young people who become homeless will previously have been almost entirely dependent on an adult for food, economic and social support, as well as housing. In losing access to the life experience of the adult(s) responsible for them, they are more likely to be manipulated and subjected to criminal exploitation. They are also more likely to drop out of school, and there’s a greater risk that they will develop substance addictions as a means to alleviate boredom, stress, or anxiety often as a result of peer pressure.

Another worrisome aspect is that despite the fact that youth experiencing homelessness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of crime, most of the contact they have with the police is the result of the perception that youth experiencing homelessness are criminals and/or a public nuisance. This means it can be more difficult to build trustbased relationships and help young people to get the support they need. The combination of youth trauma and criminal victimisation can have profound long-lasting effects that contribute to long-term entrenchment in life on the streets. What’s more, those who experience homelessness in their youth are more likely to become chronically homeless in their adult life. If youth homelessness isn’t tackled at an early stage then the outcome is effectively creating the next generation of people who will experience chronic homelessness.

As with adult homelessness, there is no singular cause of youth homelessness, but it’s important to note that the most common causes are different to those of adult homelessness. Youth homelessness may be due to any number of factors, including addiction, poverty, domestic abuse, family homelessness, loss of a caregiver, exit from state care institutions (foster care, children’s homes), and exit from correctional care facilities, to name a few. In some countries, such as the Netherlands, about 70% of HF4Y service users have a (sometimes long and problematic) history in the youth care system. LGBTIQ people make up approximately 20- 40% of youth experiencing homelessness in Europe, while migrant young people become homeless due to a series of barriers in accessing social rights, housing, education and are faced with wide discrimination. Often, these young people have experienced relational problems such as domestic violence, conflicts at home, the breaking of a relationship and the divorce or loss of parents.

The lack of a social network also plays a role. Negative experiences in upbringing, family composition, school career, life events, financial position of the parents may also be relevant factors. Young people who have experience of being homeless often also deal with complex, multiple problems, such as financial, psychological and/or addiction problems, which in some cases may be combined with a mild intellectual disability. It’s crucial to understand that people who are homeless are not only those who are visibly living on the street. There is also ‘hidden homelessness’, whereby young people may not have a fixed home but may find temporary accommodation by staying with family, friends, ‘sofa surfing’, living in squats, or other non-permanent accommodation.

HF4Y is designed to provide support and access to housing for young people with high support needs who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. For example, in the Rock Trust pilot project, the “young people first presented to the HF4Y project, all had experienced some level of childhood trauma, instability, multiple moves and a lack of security, including a background of parental substance misuse, alcoholism and/or neglect. The majority of the young people had experienced domestic or institutional abuse. All of the young people came to the service with a history of complex needs and behavioural issues, these included: nonattendance or exclusion from school, going missing, offending behaviour and physical/ verbal aggression. Most had past or current issues with alcohol and/or drugs. Over half of the young people presented with mental health issues, and four were at risk of selfharming.” (Rock Trust HF4Y Pilot Evaluation, p.14 )

Young people are at an important stage of their physical, psychological, emotional and social development and have specific needs related to their age. An important difference from adult Housing First services is that due to their developmental and life stage, young people do not necessarily require permanent housing in the same way as adults do. This is because young people are expected to move home several times as they pass from childhood to adolescence to young adulthood, regardless of their age or social situation. In normal circumstances, they might move from the family home into shared accommodation with friends as they attend third-level education or enter into the workforce for the first time. They may also change neighbourhoods or even cities to be closer to friends or different job or educational opportunities. HF4Y takes into account that young people need more choice and flexibility in terms of their accommodation at this stage of their life, and understands that it is natural for them to desire to change their living location or situation more often than adults with stable jobs or families. Young people need to be able to experiment and explore in order to identify what they want to do, where they want to be, and who they want to be as a natural part of developing into fully-grown, independent adults. Perhaps most importantly, HF4Y ensures that the accompanying support services stay with the young person as they move from one home to the next. The HF4Y workers ‘stick’ with the young person and provide stability throughout their transition into adulthood.

As in Housing First, housing in HF4Y should come from the standard housing market. Young people in HF4Y should have a choice as to where they live, should be listed on the tenancy or lease, and – in most cases – the housing should ideally be in the form of individual units. There are instances where HF4Y programmes have worked with shared accommodation, but care must be taken to ensure that young people are not forced to share and that the core principles are respected. HF4Y support can be provided in all kinds of accommodation including:

• Student accommodation

• Private Market Rental accommodation

• Transitional Accommodation

• Shared Accommodation

• Long-term tenancies

HF4Y is innovative and different because the support stays with the young person even as they move from one place to another. The support is not linked to the housing and neither are time-limited. Many programmes for young homeless people only provide support or housing for 6 to 12 to 18 months. In line with the core principles of Housing First, young people in HF4Y have access to both support and housing for as long as necessary

Absolutely! HF4Y is designed for young people who have experience of homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness. HF4Y can be an important part of strategies to prevent youth homelessness and it is crucial not to let young people become or remain homeless for any length of time before they are eligible for HF4Y. This is particularly relevant for young people who may have ‘aged out’ of state-run care institutions or who are in the process of exiting youth correctional facilities. It can offer a bridge between the institutional experience and independent adult life by teaching young people important life skills in a safe environment, as well as supporting their educational needs and preparing them for employment.

Unlike other youth housing services, HF4Y is not time-limited. It is designed to not only provide stable, age-appropriate accommodation, but flexible support for as long as is needed. This means that young people are never discharged from HF4Y services into homelessness and there is continuity of care for the long-term (unlike some other services, such as state care homes, whereby young people may be discharged without further care provision when they reach an age considered to be ‘too old’ for the target age group for the service). This also means that HF4Y support is provided separately from the housing itself and ‘sticks’ with young people if or when they move from one home to another. As with Housing First, single unit housing is preferred for HF4Y accommodation, whereas other youth housing services may focus on group or shared housing or accommodation for young people. As part of HF4Y, young people sign their own rental/tenancy agreements, which contributes to a sense of stability, safety and ownership over their living space. It also contributes to helping young people develop independence and learn responsibility as they transition to adulthood, an important part of helping them acquire the domestic and life skills they need to stay in their homes. Another key difference is that there are no pre-requisites for access to housing in HF4Y. Young people are not expected to complete ‘housing readiness’ courses before they are settled into a home.

The philosophies of Housing First and HF4Y are essentially the same, but HF4Y support is more specifically tailored to the needs of younger people.

In HF4Y, there is a more educational and guiding role than in Housing First, because young people do not yet know what they do not know, and therefore, above all, must be able to make well-informed choices, whereas most adults already have a greater degree of life experience that they can draw on to make decisions about their lives. HF4Y support is more proactive about outlining the framework of possibilities available to service users, clearly explaining in understandable terms what the advantages and disadvantages are, and ensuring that young people feel empowered to make their own choices about their lives accordingly. In short: Housing First seeks to restore autonomy and independence to adults who may feel they have lost it, whereas HF4Y seeks to help young people develop their autonomy from the beginning.

HF4Y teams support young people to engage better with services to improve their health and (physical and mental) well being, and develop healthy coping strategies. Young people in HF4Y often have significant mental health issues and addictions. HF4Y workers build relationships with young people to support them to get involved with activities that are meaningful and tailored to their interests and needs. For some young people, these meaningful activities can include going to exercise classes, learning to drive, or even registering for courses or looking for employment.