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Youth homelessness has risen 40% in five years, says UK charity

homelessness

Youth homelessness has risen 40% in five years, says UK charity

Youth homeless in the UK has increased by an estimated two-fifths in five years, rising to more than 120,000, a leading charity director has warned, as fresh analysis suggests that black households are likely to be disproportionally affected

Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, said its estimates show 86,000 young people in the UK presented to their local authority as homeless or at risk in 2016/17, and that the figure increased to 121,000 in 2019-20.

Obakin expressed fears that youth homelessness would worsen as a result of the pandemic, with Centrepoint’s helpline receiving a record number of calls since the start of the crisis. He also believes young black Britons will probably be disproportionally affected.

His warnings come as Guardian analysis shows that although England’s black population stands at about 3.5%, black households make up 10% of those that are homeless or at risk of homelessness, according to data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for the year 2020-21.

In London, black households represent 30% of those owed homelessness prevention or homelessness relief by their local authorities, despite making up just 12.5% of London’s population.

In the Guardian analysis, homelessness, and being at risk of homelessness, is defined by whether a local authority owes prevention or relief duty to a household. The data is not broken down by age.

“It is not surprising that black households are overrepresented in official homelessness statistics, but this does not mean we should tolerate it. Without a home, children’s development and educational attainment suffers and it becomes harder to find a job or stay healthy or maintain relationships that enable people to thrive,” Obakin said.

Obakin said that Centrepoint saw a third more calls to the helpline since the start of pandemic, with huge surges of demand around local lockdowns. He pinned this increase down to the multiple crisis disproportionally affecting young people, from mental health issues to high unemployment, and urged the government to intervene.

“The problem is worse than it was a decade ago and it’s actually worse than it was two years ago,” Obakin said. “It is heartbreaking to see the range of complex issues that young people are presenting with is also getting wider. That in a way is a mirror of what’s happening in society itself.”

He said racial disparities in youth unemployment, with analysis showing black youth employment was more than three times higher than among their white counterparts, had a knock-on effect on youth homelessness. “We know from our data that about three-fifths of young people who seek help from Centrepoint are from ethnically diverse backgrounds,” he added.

He fears the problem will worsen now the government has pushed ahead with its planned cuts to universal credit, which he describes as a vital safety net. “That safety net is what is being cut. So I worry young black people will be disproportionately affected,” he said.

Obakin said that through the newly created DLUHC, the government has a “tremendous opportunity” to not only tackle rough sleeping, “but to go beyond and ensure that those who are homeless, or face homelessness are given the support and services they need before they have to sleep rough. That is good for the people, and it is also good for the taxpayer.”

A DLUHC spokesperson said: “The government is helping prevent more young people from becoming homeless, and this year we’ve invested £750m to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

“During the pandemic we made huge progress to bring rough sleepers off the streets, helping over 37,000 people into safe and secure accommodation, including 26,000 who have already moved into longer-term accommodation.”

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Environment

Ogun Govt warns residents in floodplain areas to relocate

The Ogun State Government has warned of imminent flooding and asked residents of flood-prone areas to relocate to safer grounds.

In a news conference in Abeokuta on Thursday, the Ogun State Commissioner for Environment Ola Oresanya said the warning became necessary to raise the consciousness of the residents over flooding and mitigate its impact.

“This year, NIMET in its predictions highlights the likelihood of a downpour with intensity ranging from 965mm to 1805mm which raises concern for communities nationwide that are already vulnerable to flooding and its possible impact,” the commissioner said.

“In continuation of the efforts of the government to minimize the occurrence of flood in the State, residents of Ijebu-Ode, Ota, Owode, Abeokuta, Onihale in Ifo, Sagamu, Iperu, and Ilishan are advised to be wary of flash flood expected between March and July,” Oresanya added.

“Meanwhile, those living on floodplains of Isheri, Akute, Warewa, Oke-Afa, Owa and Yemule River banks in Ijebu-Ode, Ifaara, Ebute-Oni, Ayede-Ayila, Makun, Iwopin and Igele in Ogun Waterside, Ebute-Imobi in Ijebu East, Sokori, Arakanga and Onikoko River all in Abeokuta, Eruwuru, Eri, Ibu, Majopa, Odan and Sensen in Sagamu, and Ijamido, Ilo, Erukomu, Isakale, in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area among others are advised to relocate to safer grounds before the coastal flood between September and November.”

The commissioner said the Ogun State Government has taken several measures to address the predicted flooding.

These include the de-silting of 988.3km of rivers/streams and drainage channels; and the construction of 698m in length of concrete drainages and culverts of various cross-sections.

“Presently, de-silting of rivers/streams and drainage channels, and construction of drainages and culverts are ongoing in various parts of the State to further reiterate the State Government’s determination to reduce the impact of flood in the State.

“The execution of the projects will commence in April, and this cut across three senatorial districts of the State,” Oresanya said.

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Environment

Nigeria to witness first lunar crescent Feb. 28 -NASRDA

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), said that Nigeria would likely witness its first astronomical lunar crescent on Feb.28.

Dr Felix Ale, Director of Media and Corporate Communications of NASRDA, said this in a statement on Saturday.

He said that the lunar crescent had been calculated to occur at 1:45 A.M. West African Time (WAT).

Ale said the predicted time of 1:45 A.M time, also known as the Crescent Zero hour, would be when the crescent could be seen under perfect atmospheric conditions with the aid of optical instruments like binoculars or telescopes.

“The crescent will become visible to the naked eye in the evening of Friday 28th 2025 between 6:17 PM and 7:35 PM across different locations in Nigeria.

“Maiduguri will be the first city to witness the young lunar crescent from 6:17 PM to 6:48 PM, followed by Yola,Adamawa State, from 6:21 PM to 6:51 PM.

“Damaturu, Yobe, will follow from 6:22 PM to 6:53 PM, Kano, Kastina, Jos and Kaduna will experience the first lunar crescent between 6:38pm and 7:12pm.

“The sunset and moon set will occur between 6:35pm and 7:12pm, 6:38pm and 7:15pm, 6:35pm and 7:11pm, 6:40pm and 7:17pm respectively.

“Enugu will experience the lunar crescent between 6:42pm and 7:32pm with sunset and moonset at about 6:42pm and 7:18pm,’’ he said.

He predicted that in the FCT, the first lunar crescent would appear between 6:44pm and 7:15 pm, with sunset and moonset at about 6:44pm and 7:20pm.

The last cities to experience the lunar crescent, he said would be Lagos and Abeokuta between the hours of 6:59pm to 7:30pm.

Ale said that other cities across the federation will experience the lunar crescent at different times within the estimated visibility window of 6:17pm and 7:35pm on same day.

He said “for a clear sighting of the first lunar crescent, observers are to use optical aids where necessary, observe under clear atmospheric conditions.

“Observers are to position themselves in locations with an unobstructed view of the western horizon after sunset,’’

He added that the scientific report provided precise predictions on the lunar crescent across locations of the country.

According to him, the report ensured accuracy for those who relied on lunar observations for religious, cultural, and scientific purposes.

The space agency encouraged researchers, scholars, and religious groups to utilise the findings, adding that anyone requiring additional data for further analyses could visit the official office website on www.nasrda.gov.ng.

Dr Bonaventure Okere, Director, Centre for Basic Space Science and Astronomy, (CBSSA), an activity centre of NASRDA, said it was regarded as the first stage of the moon, hence the new crescent.

“The Islamic religion use moon phases for their Islamic rites but astronomers study the cycle of the rising and setting of the moon to determine moon days which is usually 28 days.

“Astronomers use the moon cycle to generate Lunar calendar, understand the part of the moon you can see daily,’’ he said. (NAN)

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Environment

NiMET predicts haziness across the country from Sunday

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, has predicted haziness from Sunday to Tuesday across the country.

NiMet’s weather outlook released on Saturday in Abuja, envisaged moderate dust haze on Sunday with a horizontal visibility range of 2km to 5km over the northern region of the country.

It expected localised visibilities of less than or equal to 1km over parts of Yobe, Kano, Katsina, Gombe, Bauchi, Kaduna, Jigawa and Niger.

It added that parts of Kogi, Kwara and Benue will experience a few clouds in a hazy atmosphere.

According to it, in the southern parts of the country, cloudy skies with spells of sunshine are expected over the entire region with prospects of afternoon or evening.

The agency said that thunderstorms are expected over parts of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Ondo, Edo and Delta.

It predicted moderate dust haze on Monday with a horizontal visibility range of 2km to 5km over the northern and North Central region of the country.

However, parts of Kogi, Kwara and Benue will experience a few clouds in a hazy atmosphere.

In the southern region, cloudy skies with spells of sunshine are expected over the entire region with prospects of afternoon or evening thunderstorms are expected over parts of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta

NiMet said moderate dust haze with horizontal visibility range of 2km to 5km is anticipated over the northern and North Central region of the country on Tuesday.

The agency forecast spells of sunshine over the entire region with prospects of afternoon or evening thunderstorms over parts of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Ondo, Edo and Delta.

It further said that dust particles are in suspension, urging the public to take necessary precautions.

It advised people with asthmatic health conditions and other respiratory issues to be cautious of the present weather conditions.

The agency also urged airline operators to get airport-specific weather reports from NiMet’s office for effective planning of their operations.

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