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'Pressure makes diamonds': Kai's journey from homelessness to independence

Now 29, Kai rebuilt his life through the Centrepoint Independent Living Programme after losing his home following his father's death; he currently works in building security and sits on the charity's lived experience advisory board.
Before finding stability, Kai spent his youth caring for his father, who suffered from COPD, and faced immediate housing uncertainty after his father's death because his name was not on the tenancy.
A new Centrepoint report reveals young renters face significant barriers, with one in three experiencing discrimination from landlords, citing employment status and ethnic or racial background as primary reasons.
More than 130,000 young people are on social housing waiting lists, and at the current rate it could take over six years to meet demand; only 24% of homes are one-bedroom despite nearly half of applicants needing this size.
Centrepoint Research Manager Ella Nuttall urges government and councils to expand social home supplies, warning that without increased housebuilding, "too many young people will continue facing homelessness and find themselves excluded from stable housing.

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