BBC Documentaries

Professor Green: Hidden And Homeless (2016x31)

: 09, 2016

The latest estimates show that the number of young people in the UK who experience homelessness every year is over three times the official figures (1) and (2). In this thought-provoking new BBC Three documentary, Professor Green - aka Stephen Manderson - sets out to discover the modern face of homelessness in the UK, aiming to change our perceptions of who the young homeless are while exploring the harsh reality of their lives. With recent UK-based statistics showing that more than half of those seeking help with homelessness are under 25 (3), Stephen investigates this pressing issue which is affecting young people in greater numbers. But what do we recognise as homeless today? From the streets of Manchester, where rough sleeping has shockingly doubled in the last year (4), Stephen spends time with a 21 year-old man who has already fallen through the cracks in the system. Yet homelessness is not always so visible to society, as Stephen finds when he meets others trapped in the cycle of temporary hostel life and sofa surfing. On this eye-opening journey he’ll uncover a generation of people without access to normal society or a future - and ask whether rising levels of youth homelessness could bring us dangerously close a national epidemic. (1) Over 80,000 young people experience homelessness every year in the UK (2) Homelessness statistics from the Department for Communities and Local Government (3) 52 percent of those seeking help with homelessness are under 25 (4) In Manchester rough sleeping has doubled in the last year