Nearly 23,000 young people could be left homeless this Christmas across England, a youth charity has predicted.

The South East, London and the West Midlands are expected to see the highest number of young people aged 16 to 24 facing this challenge during the winter period, according to Centrepoint.

The charity used its youth homelessness database, which has collected such information and tracked trends since 2017, to forecast its estimate of 22,800 young people between October and December presenting as homeless or in risk.

Based on regional breakdowns, 4,200 people could need help from local authorities in the South East, 2,500 in London and 3,300 in the West Midlands.

The forecast for England is lower than last year’s estimate of around 24,400 young people and the estimate of 29,500 for winter 2022.

Centrepoint said actual figures can often be higher due to so-called hidden homelessness, such as couch surfing by people who do not present themselves to local authorities as needing accommodation .

The charity also carried out a small survey of 120 people living on Centrepoint services this summer, and found that two thirds (66%) felt worried about their safety as they had nowhere to stay in Christmas.

The charity said its snow globe installation on London’s South Bank is intended to be a “powerful” reminder of the struggles young homeless people face.

Dr Helen Miles, a consultant clinical psychologist who works for the charity, said: “Being homeless at any age can have a huge and lasting impact on a person’s physical and mental health, but young people are particularly vulnerable.

“The trauma and instability of not having a safe home, family or network to turn to can seriously impact a young person’s sense of physical and emotional safety, which can have an impact on their ability to seize life’s opportunities, essential at this age to reach their full potential in the future.

“Our snow globe installation on South Bank is a powerful visual representation of some of the hidden struggles that young homeless people face, and the importance of the right support to enable them to escape homelessness for good.

“Every young person deserves to feel physically and emotionally safe, valued and hopeful, not just at Christmas, but every day of the year. We hope this installation will inspire greater understanding and action from the wider community.

Adam Hug, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA), said councils are “doing their best to fulfill their duties to vulnerable young people at a time when they are under increasing pressure to find homes suitable for an ever-increasing number of people. “.

He added: “The chronic shortage of suitable housing across the country means councils are increasingly having to turn to alternative housing options at significant cost – there are currently 113,000 households living in temporary accommodation, at a cost to councils of £1.75 billion. one year.

“To effectively reduce homelessness and reduce housing waiting lists, councils need the powers and resources to build more of the truly affordable homes our communities desperately need.

A government spokesperson described the predicted figures as “simply unacceptable” and said they had “inherited record levels of homelessness, which is having a devastating impact on young people”.

They added: “This must change – that’s why we are taking urgent action to end homelessness for good.

“We introduced a £10m emergency fund to protect homeless people from the cold this winter and in the Budget we announced an extra £233m for homelessness services, bringing the total spending to almost £1 billion in 2025-26. »

The Centrepoint freephone helpline is available to people aged 16 to 25 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm on 0808 800 0661.