The Children’s Society has revealed that an estimated 12,000 homeless 16 and 17-year-olds ask councils for help with housing every year, but half are turned away.
The figures are based on Freedom of Information requests sent to 353 local councils, with the charity receiving responses from 259.
The results show that as many as 80 per cent of these teenagers do not receive accommodation, while many of those who ask councils for help do not even receive an assessment of their needs – something that is a legal requirement for councils to provide.
These teenagers also rarely get the same support as children in care, such as access to an advocate or financial support, the findings show.
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