Shelter has condemned Government proposals to remove housing benefit for under 25s, warning that the move would inevitably lead to a rise in homelessness.

Campbell Robb, Shelter's Chief Executive, said: "At Shelter we know that many young people simply don’t have family and friends to fall back on if they lose their job, and rely on housing benefit to keep a roof over their head.

"At a time when many young people are facing significant difficulties in finding work, these proposals would leave thousands with nowhere else to go. They would also present serious problems for vulnerable young people, for example care leavers and those who have experienced family breakdown.


"Currently over half of young people who rely on housing benefit to pay a private landlord will be on benefits for less than six months while they are unemployed and look for work.

"And since previous changes to housing benefit will force people with spare rooms to downsize and penalise those with adult children living at home, these policies appear completely contradictory.

"It's outrageous that the Government is considering undermining the housing safety net yet again. Sadly it seems inevitable that we'll see an increase in homelessness as a result."

(CD/GK)