Young people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods experience serious barriers to living independently as they are unable to access decent, affordable and secure housing and are discriminated against in the private housing market.

This puts them in a risk of homelessness, which negatively affect their health and well-being and prevents them from continuing their education or getting a job. Young people should have access to affordable, youth-friendly and accessible housing services.

Public authorities should improve access to suitable and affordable housing for young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods by considering their housing needs and involving them when making and delivering housing policy, strategy and services. They should also:

• Simplify and improve support young people’s access to housing and improve coordination between public housing and other social services.
• Ensure that young people have information about how to access housing and help with housing
• Encourage and support the creation of different types of housing such as social housing and private rental housing so that young people can find the right option for their needs. At the same time public authorities should sure that housing providers meet minimum quality standards and set up ways to check and feedback on these standards. Finally the houses young people live in (public and private) should be safe, clean and allow them to be healthy.
• Ensure the diversity of local communities by the use of mixed housing schemes. People from different backgrounds and cultures should not be segregated.
• Provide “halting sites” for Roma and Traveller communities with access to clean water, electricity and proper sanitation.
   

 Read more about housing (Chapter 6 - Publication Taking it seriously)