Imagine the size of the Olympic Stadium. Now fill that to capacity with young people. Now imagine every one of them is homeless. This Christmas research reveals 80,000 young people have been homeless over the past year – with winter a notoriously gruelling season particularly if you are sleeping rough. Despite a rise in the number of young people seeking help this year, nearly half (44%) of the country’s homeless agencies have had to turn away young people because their resources are fully stretched.

A figure over 300 times the number of youths to have experienced homelessness, 25 million, estimates the number of spare rooms in houses across the UK. Since family breakdowns are the main cause of youth homelessness, the traditional significance of the festive season is particularly poignant and has prompted a new initiative to reduce the number of young people on the street this Christmas Day.

With temperatures well into minus territory, homeless people at their most vulnerable and charities stretched to their limit, Depaul UK, the largest youth homelessness charity in the UK, is encouraging people to open up their spare room to a homeless young person this Christmas. By offering a safe place to stay, free from any danger, ‘community hosts’ can play a huge part in transforming their lives by taking away the single most daunting prospect –not knowing where they will spend their next night.