Press Release: Physical & emotional harm forcing LGBTQ+ young adults to leave home with no support

Physical & emotional harm forcing LGBTQ+ young adults to leave home with no support

• There are at least 200,000 estranged young people in the UK
• Emotional or physical harm is the main driver of estrangement
• Estrangement leads to intensive financial and housing insecurity
• No statutory support is given to estranged young people
• LGBTQ+ young people face distinct and heightened risks of family rejection, stigma, and alienation

May 7th 2026– A major new report from Buttle, No Easy Path: The realities of LGBTQ+ young people estranged from their families has found that physical and emotional harm was the main driver of estrangement for LGBTQ+ young people in the UK. 

Estranged young people are under 25 and have been forced to cut ties with their family. This new report, which was co-produced with estranged young people, has found that this group often leave home after prolonged periods of harm or abuse.

It also highlights that estranged young people receive no statutory support and are often left in dangerous and vulnerable living situations. LGBTQ+ young people face distinct and heightened risks of family rejection, stigma, and alienation, in fact 24% of young people experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+. Temporary or precarious living arrangements are common with this group, as they have no support and nowhere to turn.

One interviewee said this:

“When I first became estranged, I was staying with my boyfriend at the time. He was quite abusive, but I stayed with him so I had somewhere to stay. And then for a bit I was homeless.”

When young people leave care (care leavers) they are statutorily entitled to ongoing help and support from their local authority. Meanwhile, estranged young people are in the same vulnerable position, with zero support.

One survey respondent said this:

“Because I’m a very young adult, who is also very independent and ‘put-together’, a lot of  people think I receive financial support from my parents and still live with them. It can be difficult for people to understand the extremity of my situation and the fact that I’m doing all of this on my own.”

Buttle is calling for the government to adopt a statutory definition of estrangement, give estranged young people the same statutory support entitlements as care leavers and create a unified verification process for estrangement to stop retraumatising estranged young people.

You can support this campaign by signing their letter to the Prime Minister here.

Co-Production and Youth Engagement Manager at Buttle, Charlotte Robey-Turner had this to say:

“No-one should have to choose between an abusive home or a life of dangerous uncertainty. With at least 200,000 invisible traumatised young people across the UK, we must demand better for them. Access to support when you have nowhere else to turn is the bare minimum.”

Buttle provides grants for estranged young people to support with their education/training and wellbeing. For more information, please visit our website.

ENDS

For all media enquiries, please contact:

tarynr@buttleuk.org

Tel: 07922426277

About the research

With young peer researchers, children’s charity Buttle surveyed, interviewed and conducted workshops with LGBTQ+ young people over the course of a year thanks to funding from the George Michael Fund via the Talent Fund. Read the full report here.

About Buttle
Buttle is all about giving children in crisis a fair shot at a better life. They deliver access to things that we know are important to childhood.