Coram responds to recent changes in government regulations and guidance to increase access to social housing for young care leavers under 25 by removing the social housing local connection test.
Linda Briheim-Crookall, Head of Policy and Practice at Coram Voice, said: “This change is a welcome step forward in supporting care leavers to access social housing in the area they choose to live, helping them to find a safe and stable home. Care experienced children and young people are too often moved away from their support networks and across local authority boundaries. Insufficient support after leaving care can lead to homelessness and this makes it vital to help them settle in communities where they have established connections.
The new regulations exempt care leavers from residency requirements, allowing them to join housing registers outside their home authority. However, we remain concerned that some care leavers may still face a postcode lottery in terms of the priority they receive under local housing allocation schemes, leaving many on council housing waiting lists for years.
Housing allocation policies are determined locally, and not all areas grant care leavers priority on the social housing register, which affects their ability to bid for properties. Until now, most policies have focused on care leavers from their own authority, rather than those placed by others. We welcome the statutory guidance published today, which states: “Authorities are strongly encouraged to give the same level of priority to those care leavers who have been placed in their authority area and wish to stay, as their own care leavers whom they have a duty to provide support and assistance up to age 25.”
Despite this guidance, we are concerned that in areas with high demand for social housing, priority banding may still not guarantee accommodation. Moreover, as this is a recommendation rather than a requirement, local authorities may choose not to implement it. Local connection criteria also apply under homelessness legislation, which operates separately from housing allocation rules. It is estimated that one in three care leavers experience homelessness within two years of leaving care. Yet, at present, care leavers must still meet local connection tests to qualify for homelessness support, and the new exemption does not extend to these requirements. We urge the government to go further and introduce a local connection exemption in homelessness legislation as well.
One of Coram’s Housing Rights Ambassadors aged 16-25 with personal experience of housing issues or homelessness said: “The government must do more. So many homeless young people deal with mental health problems and this can stem from housing instability. How do you focus on work or studies when you don’t know where you’ll sleep next week? If society doesn’t intervene early and compassionately, we lose potential of young people.”