A campaign will launch next month to support young Londoners 'forced out' due to rising rents and benefit cuts.
Youth Fight for Jobs and Education is calling for more council housing, affordable rents, low interest mortgages and mortgage holders to be able to transfer back to affordable rents if they fall into arrears.
Since January Local Housing Allowance, a benefit paid to those on low incomes or out of work benefits living in private rented housing, will only cover the cost of a room in a shared house for single claimants under 35 years.
Previously, claimants under 25 could claim the cost of one bedroom flat.
Last Autumn London councils estimated that nearly 200,000 unemployed households would be unable to afford their rent when changes to Local Housing Allowance and other benefits were implemented.
Figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government on Thursday, showed the number of households accepted as homeless by London boroughs between October and December 2011 was 27 per cent higher than at the same time in 2010.
The number of rough sleepers in London has also risen by nearly 8 per cent, and last month Westminster
Council admitted that 1,540 primary school children and their families could be forced to move out because of the changes.
Last year average rents in London rose by 6.3 per cent, according to LSL Property Services.
But Housing Minister Grant Shapps said the increase in homelessness was due to a ‘debt laden’ economy, inherited from the previous Labour government, and that an extra £70m had been made available to councils to help homeless people.
The government aims to save £2bn on Local Housing Allowance by 2016. It has made an extra £10m available to councils to ease the transition this year.
Young Londoners Forced Out will be launched at a meeting at the University of London Union, Malet St, at 7.00 pm on Tuesday, April 17.
Youth Fight for Jobs and Education is calling for more council housing, affordable rents, low interest mortgages and mortgage holders to be able to transfer back to affordable rents if they fall into arrears.
Since January Local Housing Allowance, a benefit paid to those on low incomes or out of work benefits living in private rented housing, will only cover the cost of a room in a shared house for single claimants under 35 years.
Previously, claimants under 25 could claim the cost of one bedroom flat.
Last Autumn London councils estimated that nearly 200,000 unemployed households would be unable to afford their rent when changes to Local Housing Allowance and other benefits were implemented.
Figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government on Thursday, showed the number of households accepted as homeless by London boroughs between October and December 2011 was 27 per cent higher than at the same time in 2010.
The number of rough sleepers in London has also risen by nearly 8 per cent, and last month Westminster
Council admitted that 1,540 primary school children and their families could be forced to move out because of the changes.
Last year average rents in London rose by 6.3 per cent, according to LSL Property Services.
But Housing Minister Grant Shapps said the increase in homelessness was due to a ‘debt laden’ economy, inherited from the previous Labour government, and that an extra £70m had been made available to councils to help homeless people.
The government aims to save £2bn on Local Housing Allowance by 2016. It has made an extra £10m available to councils to ease the transition this year.
Young Londoners Forced Out will be launched at a meeting at the University of London Union, Malet St, at 7.00 pm on Tuesday, April 17.
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