Navca chief executive Kevin Curley has urged local support organisations to ready themselves to work on the growing prevalence of homelessness as government cuts start to bite.

At Navca’s annual conference last week, Curley stated in his closing speech that: “I believe the government in recent times has made it more likely that people will become homeless – especially young people.”

He cited the results of research into spending cuts that have already hit the voluntary youth sector, along with the potential implications of the further cuts announced in the spending review, such as the 60 per cent reduction on capital spending on new social housing and the impending new ceiling on housing benefit for single people.

“For example, the YMCA in Northampton had lost more than £1m – most of its income because Supporting People grant is no longer available to hostel projects,” he said. “All their housing support work with young people which prevented homelessness has come to an end.”

Also, government grants to local councils to cover the cost of local housing advice are no longer ring-fenced, and so increasingly this funding can be spent elsewhere by councils, Curley added.  “Shelter points out that without local pressure some councils will cut these services leading to an increase in homelessness and all its associated personal and service costs.

“One in five young people aged 18 to 24 has no job, training place or education beyond school.  That is 900,000 young people in England.  Many will be vulnerable to homelessness. A further 88,000 people aged 25 and over are now also vulnerable to homelessness because of the housing benefit changes”.

He said he supported Shelter’s call for local voluntary groups to apply pressure to their local authority to ensure sufficient housing advice is offered.

“Renew your relationships with local organisations that are helping disadvantaged young people and those that are working with homeless people," he told Navca members. "And specifically take action to protect local housing advice, especially where this is provided by voluntary organisations.

“If you don’t have a Homelessness Forum or Network in your area, now is the time to create it.  The time has come again to put these issues into your in-tray.”

• Read Tania Mason's blog about this story.