Huge rise in number of young care leavers facing homelessness

Zoe was 16 when she entered the care system. Now 21, she told the BBC that she was moved five times while in care.

“I have this fear of owning too much stuff in case I need to move and even if that’s no longer a worry, I still always have to have these clear outs and make sure that my stuff fits in a certain amount of boxes,” she said.

Originally from Cambridgeshire, Zoe has moved between hospitals, a children’s home in Gloucestershire and an eating disorder unit in Glasgow.

“I’ve spent five different Christmases in different locations in the last five years and it’s quite unsettling,” she said.

Zoe does not have her own home and is living in supported accommodation in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, while waiting for suitable social housing.

She said: “I think people need to realise that we don’t just turn 18 and then we’re just this adult who knows everything.

“People need to realise that actually we’ve been deprived from care and love and that is something we still need as adults.”