More than 18,000 young people are at risk of homelessness this Christmas, according to research by homelessness charity Centrepoint.
The youth homelessness charity has dubbed today Bleak Friday – a week on from mega-spending consumer event Black Friday – to raise awareness of the plight of young Brits aged 16-25 in the UK.
A 2.000-strong online survey found that 40 per cent of people reported seeing more young people sleeping rough in the past few years.
Christmas is a season to splurge with thousands enjoying the Black Friday deals, but for young homeless people it can be bleak, scary, and sometimes life-threatening
However, that does not tell the full story with a quarter of homeless young people sofa-surfing and 68 per cent staying temporarily with friends to avoid abusive situations.
A further three quarters of 16-25 year olds expect to feel loved and content over the Christmas period while eight out of 10 expect to spend Christmas in their family home.
But a quarter of homeless young people will not have that the same opportunity, spending the holiday with a stranger because they have nowhere to stay.