Homeless charity say demand for housing is "worrying"
Step by Step charity say they're seeing an increasing demand
A homeless charity who operate across the South are telling us the demand for housing is "worrying".
Step by Step charity, who have bases in Hampshire, say they've seen around 8,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who have presented themselves as homeless to local authorities.
Debbie Moreton, CEO of Step by Step is telling us more.
She said: "We've definitely seen an increase in demand lately.
"All of our placements are full in our foyer settings and supported lodgings.
"There's quite a lot of young people needing places to go.
"There's just under 8000 young people aged 16 to 24 who have presented themselves as homeless to their local authority in the South Central region.
"That's quite worrying."
Step by Step is a youth homelessness charity who support people across six counties in the South, including Hampshire, offering accommodation and supported lodgings, as well as wellbeing services.
Ms Moreton added: "The Christmas period is always a difficult time.
"There's lots of family breakdowns and it's a tricky period for a number of people, but particularly for young people.
"One minute, they're on a sofa, but then that sofa's full because the household's welcoming their family, so they might then have nowhere to go."
She's telling us the importance of support.
She said: "It gives them a sense of belonging and if you have nowhere to go, nowhere safe, it's just terrible.
"To be given an opportunity to be part of someone's family or to be part of Step by Step in the foyer setting, it means an awful lot.
"They're able to thrive and move forward and progress rather than staying static and perhaps not getting into college or achieving a job or whatever path they choose.
"But if they're able to access services, they're given that chance."