Written question WQ99978

We do not collect data on numbers of care-experienced young people who have experienced homelessness whilst still in education, however, we recognise the increased risk of homelessness that care leavers can face.

We are committed to ending homelessness across Wales, and the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026 will be central to achieving that. The Act contains the following measures designed to ensure that early preparation is made to ensure care leavers have a suitable place to live as they transition from care:

• A duty to ensure young people leaving care have suitable accommodation.

• A duty to have a joint protocol between children’s services and housing-related support services to plan and commission accommodation and support services for care leavers.

• A new category of reasonable preference for young people prioritising them for allocation of social housing.

The measures in the Act are matched by a range of support in 2026-27 to prevent care-experienced young people from experiencing homelessness. This includes:

• £3.77m for the Youth Support Grant to identify young people at risk of becoming homeless and ensure they are given appropriate support. This includes a Youth Homelessness Coordinator in each local authority to work across housing, education and social services to identify risk of homelessness earlier.

• £3.5m for the Youth Homelessness Innovation Fund which supports 18 innovative housing and support approaches for young people (including care leavers) across Wales.

• The Youth Engagement and Progression Framework (YEPF) sets out a blueprint for schools, local authorities and other organisations to work together to identify and respond to the needs of children and young people at risk of becoming homeless (or not in education, employment or training).