Government plans to axe housing benefit for under 25s |
| The YMCA has reacted strongly to reports that the Government is proposing to axe housing benefit for the under 25s. YMCA England Chief Executive, Ian Green, said: "This proposal is the latest in a line of measures that really suggests that the Government is completely out of touch with the needs of young people. To suggest that in order to save money you remove crucial housing support from virtually everyone under the age of 25 is absurd and shows a real lack of understanding of the potential long term consequences of such a policy." "The YMCA believes that access to the benefit system, including housing benefit, should be based on 'need' not on the rather crude measure of whether an individual is of a certain age or not. YMCAs across the country work with some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities and without this support, including housing, a lot of young people would simply drop out of society altogether. Many of these young people come from a background where the family unit has broken down and to simply say to them that they should stay at home longer is not an option and potentially dangerous." "The YMCA always seeks to work constructively with the Government of the day but it is difficult to think in our 168 year history of many proposals from Government that will have such a detrimental and negative impact upon some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities. We urge the Government to think again." ENDS For further information please contact the YMCA England Press Office on:
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