England stars and pundits back campaign to highlight homeless young people

England footballers, legends and TV pundits are among the high profile names backing a campaign aimed at raising awareness of homeless young people faced with sleeping rough this winter.

John Stones and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are part of Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad in Qatar, are lending their support to Centrepoint's #NotComingHome campaign.

They're joined by legend, 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst and England women's star Beth Mead, as well as pundit and former Three Lions ace, Micah Richards.

Centrepoint's campaign aims to highlight homeless young people who are not coming home at a time when England fans will be chanting "it's coming home".

Centrepoint predicts that almost 30,000 young people aged 16–24 will face homelessness in England this Christmas.

Other famous faces taking part in the campaign, which is brought to life in a powerful film, include comedians Jack Whitehall and Asim Chaudhry, rugby legend Ugo Monye and TV personality Mark Wright.

TV and radio presenter Lauren Layfield, Love Island star Josh Denzel, actor Jeremy Irvine, radio hosts Richie Anderson and Roman Kemp and gamer Elz the Witch are also involved.

According to new research by Centrepoint, almost half (49%) of UK adults aged 18-34 have experienced financial difficulty in the past 12 months and over half (55%) claim rises in the cost of living have had a negative impact on their mental health.

Almost two fifths (39%) said they had reduced how often they used the heating due to high energy costs, while one in five skipped meals (21%), sold possessions (20%), and 20% had gone into their overdraft or taken on debt.

On top of this, two-fifths (39%) have worried whether they will be able to keep a roof over their head in the past 12 months.

Looking ahead, even more (49%) are concerned about how they will afford rent or mortgage repayments in the next 12 months.

Seyi Obakin OBE, Centrepoint Chief Executive, said: “This cost-of-living crisis is pushing vulnerable young people closer to breaking point than ever before.

“Everyone should be able to keep a roof over their heads, pay their bills and put food on the table. That is becoming increasingly difficult for the country’s most vulnerable young people, some of whom have just £5 a week to live on after rent and bills.

"This comes at an enormous personal cost of skipped meals, poor mental health and isolation.

“Around 30,000 young people could face homelessness this winter – but this is a conservative prediction, and it is likely that this number will be significantly higher.

"The government has taken some steps to support young people during this crisis, but it’s clear that they are still struggling. We need further action if we are to avoid more and more young people facing homelessness.”

Centrepoint exists to give young homeless people like TJ a future.

TJ, 19, was supported by the Centrepoint Bursary to complete a professional football scouting qualification.

Now working as a scout for QPR, TJ said: “When you don’t know where you’re going to be tomorrow, where you’re going to sleep or where to turn to for help, the fear of uncertainty really kicks in.

"I faced this uncertainty myself, but with Centrepoint’s support, I was able to get onto courses I wasn’t able to get on before and learn a lot about the job I wanted to be in.

“I am now a scout at QPR and it’s still something that hasn’t sunk in yet. The people mentoring me are the people I grew up watching play football and it’s very surreal to be in this environment, and to think back to where it all started.

“For any young people struggling now, what I’d say is you might feel now you’re at your lowest, or you’re out of luck – but don’t let that be the reason to stop looking for help.

"When you find help and someone who can pick you back up, you will feel better and won’t even remember the days you were down. Life right now for me is pretty peaceful and stress free. I don’t have to worry as much as I used to when I first came to Centrepoint – I have a job, a house, somewhere to sleep.”

To donate, go to the Centrepoint website.

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