Young people are being disproportionately hit by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey by homelessness charity DePaul UK.
The charity, which manages supported housing and the Nightstop national emergency accommodation network, surveyed 116 young people by questionnaire and then carried out in-depth interviews.
Nearly six in ten suffered increased anxiety because of their financial situation, and three in four had suffered isolation from family and friends. Around six in ten said their mental health had suffered because of Covid-19.
Almost a third reported difficulties finding enough food during lockdown. Of these, more than four-fifths said that the pandemic had had a negative impact on their mental health while nearly nine in ten were unemployed and dependent on state benefits for their upkeep.
Of the 116 survey respondents, 27 were in employment prior to Covid-19. Of this number, 15 lost their jobs as a direct consequence of the pandemic, four had their hours reduced and six were furloughed. Only two of the 27 managed to maintain their employment at the level it was before the pandemic.
Depaul chief executive Mike Thiedke said: “Our survey and report Everything Stopped! shows just how serious this pandemic has been for young people experiencing housing instability.
“Over the past nine months, Covid-19 has presented great challenges to our services and the young people we support. It is absolutely crucial that we listen to the voices of the young people we work with and help alleviate the shocking impact the pandemic has – and will continue to have – on their lives.
“Among the recommendations that we are making to the Government are that it ring-fences a proportionate allocation for young people of any future funding for long-term move-on accommodation, creates a new national youth homelessness prevention strategy and makes the £20 uplift in Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit permanent, extending it to people on other income replacement benefits.”
Justin's story
Living at home was all right. I was living with my brother and my mother. I was working. I was doing what I needed to do in the house. Couldn’t really complain. I was working in construction. The thing I enjoyed most was working inside of the penthouses. I went into a couple, top floor, nice with nice views.
When we got the news about Covid spreading, my manager told me: “I can’t allow you to work in flats.” He said there was no work available for me at that time. The last day of work was actually on my birthday. After two months of not working, I started to feel really down. I didn’t feel motivated to do anything. It affected my relationship with my family quite dramatically.
It used to be that after work I’d come in, I’d cook, socialise, play some card games. But I didn’t feel like talking to anyone because I didn’t feel like anyone would understand what I was going through. I had a fight with my brother and went to my friend’s place. I got a call from my mum, at about eight o’clock, saying that she doesn’t want me to come back. The next morning I went home and the locks were changed.
So I just picked up a couple of my things and went straight down to the council. They said they couldn’t help me because, due to Covid, there was no one in the building. That’s when I knew that I was on my own. I was a week or two sleeping on a park bench. I had no money. I went to my friend’s place and he said I could stay there once in a while. In the flat it was him and his girlfriend, and his sister was living there too, with her new baby. So I had to be sleeping on the floor, and most nights I would be wandering the streets. I was doing that for about three months. One night I went to sleep on a bench for maybe an hour. When I woke up there was someone next to me. They ran off with one of my bags. I could never really forget that experience. I was scared for my life. He could have done anything to me.
It’s kind of rough out there. Eventually, the council put me in touch with Depaul UK. I got a viewing and on the same day I said: “Yeah, this is the home for me.” The day before I moved in, I was excited and relieved, especially when I saw the bed. When I first moved in, I didn’t even pack away my clothes. I just went straight to bed. Probably the best sleep I’d had in months, to be fair. Depaul UK has helped me to find work. They helped me get my uniform for my new job. They helped me sort out my CV. If it wasn’t for them doing that, I wouldn’t have got this job that I have now. It’s warehouse work, which I’m already used to. I’m enjoying it. I’m enjoying the work and I’m enjoying where I’m staying, too. I see that as my lowest that I’ve ever been in my life so far. But I can’t give up. I have to keep on trying. Keep on moving forward. My hopes and goals for next year are being able to get back into construction work. To start being happy. To start living life again.