End Youth Homelessness commissioned Pro Bono Economics to estimate the potential value for money of their new Health Fund.
End Youth Homelessness is a UK-wide movement of leading regional charities that house and support homeless young people (aged 16-24) at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. In 2021, End Youth Homelessness is launching a Health Fund which will, amongst other things, fund near-immediate access to specialist mental health support assistance for young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
We draw on existing evidence to estimate the monetary value of the potential benefits for individuals expected to benefit from this new funding through three key channels:
We assess the potential value for money of the Health Fund by comparing these estimated benefits to the anticipated costs of the programme.
Our analysis suggests that:
Our analysis provides evidence that the benefits to society from improving the mental health of young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness by providing mental health services faster and over more sessions are likely to out-weigh the costs. Whilst some of the benefits fall directly to the young people supported in the form of increased wages, we have identified that the wider public is also likely to benefit from reduced pressure on the NHS, school system and increased taxation revenue to support public services. This suggests that not only is there a moral and ethical imperative to supporting young people facing some of the most challenging circumstances, but an economic case too.
26 April 2021