Youth homelessness in the West Midlands up 7%
Charity Centrepoint says almost 13,000 young people are homeless in the region
The number of young people facing homelessness across the West Midlands rose by 7% in a year, according to research by a charity who are warning of teens sleeping on night buses and strangers' sofas.
Leading youth homelessness charity Centrepoint said there were 12,899 young people homeless or at risk of homelessness in 2024/25.
That is up from 12,058 in the previous 12 months.
Centrepoint's annual databank is made up of publicly available data and responses to Freedom of Information requests to national governments and local authorities.
Youth homelessness rose across each of the four nations except for Northern Ireland, where the figure fell slightly from 2,896 to 2,889.
Wales had the largest percentage increase of 8%, from 5,433 to 5,856, while England had a 6% rise from 101,184 to 107,585 and Scotland rose 2% year-on-year, from 7,434 to 7,604.
Homelessness has "a particular effect on young people"
Balbir Kaur Chatrik, Centrepoint's director of policy and prevention, said: "Youth homelessness is at record levels, and this is another significant increase in the number of young people without a safe place to stay.
"The experience of homelessness is incredibly traumatic for anyone - but it has a particular effect on young people. At a time when most of their peers are thinking of university or starting careers, increasing numbers of the most vulnerable young people are stuck - often in terrifying situations - trying to navigate to support alone.
In December, the Government published its long-awaited homelessness strategy for England, pledging the number of long-term rough sleepers will be halved in the next five years as well as more households being prevented from becoming homeless.
As part of its strategy to tackle the "profound challenge" of homelessness, ministers set out how they will use £3.5 billion of investment including through efforts to help those on the streets and to stop others falling into crisis.
Ms Chatrik said: "By emphasising prevention and support, the Government's Ending Homelessness Plan marked an important step in the right direction.
"We now urgently need to see a move from planning to delivery because, until we do, thousands more will be left waiting for meaningful action on night buses, strangers' sofas, or worse."
(Figures for Northern Ireland were for 16 to 25-year-olds, rather than 16 to 24-year-olds.)