Good morning. Isabella here. Welcome back to Survival Guide.

Last week I visited New Horizon Youth Centre in North London, which supports young people experiencing homelessness. It is the second time The Big Issue has visited the centre this month and both times a queue of people needing help stretched outside in the cold.

It was there that I met Ben, who first became homeless aged 11. He has felt ignored by authorities throughout his life, and last year he spent five months sleeping on the streets with nowhere else to go.

Just under 136,000 young people approached their council as homeless or about to become homeless in 2022 to 2023. That equates to 372 per day and a new young person facing the threat of homelessness every four minutes.

Change is possible – but only if we work together to fight for greater commitment from those in power to end youth homelessness. More than half of rough sleepers have done so for the first time before the age of 25, so charities believe one of the best ways to end rough sleeping is to stop young people becoming homeless.

Also this week, we head to Manchester where a wonderful group is giving out free kitchen equipment to those in need. And read to the end to find out whether you might be eligible for a cold weather payment this winter…

If you have a story to share, we want to listen. Get in touch at isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com or share your story here.

Ben's story: 'It was only in the worst time in my life that I got help'

Ben was 11 when he first experienced homelessness. He was running away from home and an abusive father. 

Ben, whose name has been changed, went where many other 11-year-olds might when looking for a safe haven: Butlins. He played with other children in the day and, at night, he slept inside a slide in the playground. 

But then social services got involved and he was forced to return to his father.

Ben, now 21, experienced homelessness again last year. He went to his local council for help and he was given an assessment. 

“I was sleep deprived and hungry,” he says. “That’s hard. So I didn’t manage to produce everything on time.”

Ben’s application for housing support was closed and he was back to sleeping on the streets.

“It was only in the worst time of my life that I got help,” Ben says. “I got connected with the Crisis team. They put me in a hotel. I hadn’t realised how bad it was. They gave me sleeping tablets. I had a meal every day. Even just having one meal a day meant a lot.”

A collective of 120 youth homelessness charities, including Centrepoint and Depaul UK, have launched a petition calling for a national strategy to end youth homelessness in the UK.

Read Ben’s story here and sign the petition here.

You can also find out more about how to help people facing homelessness here.

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How the UK's two-child benefit cap is trapping kids in poverty and pushing families to ‘breaking point’. An estimated 250,000 children could be lifted out of poverty if the government scrapped the “unfair” two-child limit on benefits. Get the latest.

‘Lonely and expensive’: London is becoming less ‘liveable’ than other European cities, study finds. The number of Londoners who are satisfied with their city has plunged 8% in four years, according to the European Commission. Read about it.

Homelessness set to soar by a third in Scotland in two years – but it ‘doesn’t need to be this way’. Experts have called on ministers to change their approach to boost working-age benefits and take earlier action to prevent homelessness. Here’s their plan.

Social media and closure of youth ‘safe spaces’ could lead to a surge in violent crime, research warns. Cuts to youth projects, centres and ‘safe spaces’ in Scotland could lead to a surge in violence among young people. Get the story.

The Post Office scandal proves why workers’ needs must be put ahead of AI and technology. Journalist Adele Walton speaks to experts. Read the story.

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Cracking Good Food: Meet the group giving out free kitchen equipment to those in need

As the UK continues to grapple with the impact of a cost of living crisis, one organisation is working to reduce waste and give to those who have the least across Greater Manchester.

Cracking Good Food was founded in 2010 with the aim of supporting local people to cook affordable, seasonal and nutritious food from scratch. Now it holds regular Kitchen Kit Call Outs, redistributing donations of preloved but good-quality kitchen equipment, from kettles and microwaves to mugs and cutlery, to people in need. 

“Think of it like a kitchen kit car boot sale – but everything is free for community groups, charities, homeless prevention hostels and other organisations who need it,” director Tracey Torley said.

“Not having the equipment to cook with can be a real financial hurdle when times are tight. Plus, much of the equipment we are redistributing has often been sitting unused in the back of people’s cupboards – this way we save it from heading to landfill too.” 

Read about their mission.

Saving those coins: Could you be due a cold weather payment?

When temperatures drop below freezing, the cold weather payment is given out to low-income households.

It is a £25 top up per week intended to help people cover the extra costs they have to pay for heating.

People in receipt of certain benefits receive the payment if the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days.

Find out whether you could be due a payment here. If you live in Scotland, you will get the winter heating payment instead.