A homeless charity has launched a campaign urging the new London Mayor to help tackle youth homelessness.

The Lead London Home campaign, started by CentrePoint, encourages Londoners to sign a petition urging all mayoral candidates to take action to protect vulnerable young people in the capital's streets.

With numbers of young people using homelessness services on the rise, and the number of young people sleeping rough more than double what it was in 2010, the charity say that it’s clear that the issue of youth homelessness in the capital is reaching crisis point.

With the London Mayor elections just a few months away, CentrePoint say now is the time to make sure all candidates are placing the issue of homelessness on the agenda.

Alongside other homelessness charities, Centrepoint is asking the new mayor of London to:

  • Lead a new drive to end rough sleeping, including providing at least 2000 homes and a Housing First programme for former rough sleepers.

  • Prioritise homelessness prevention and support calls for a new law so that no one can be turned away by councils to sleep on the streets.

  • Increase access to private rented sector housing and tenancy support for people on the lowest income.

  • Embed the needs of homeless people at the heart of London’s public services.

READ MORE:Heartwarming gesture as cousins help feed the homeless at Christmas

A CentrePoint spokesman said: “Despite work by the current mayor, homelessness has risen steeply, and just 13% of Londoners believe enough is being done to support single homeless people.

“As a city we can and must do far more to tackle homelessness, but to do so requires ambition and leadership.”

The charity is encouraging Londoners to sign the petition, write to Mayoral candidates and share the campaign on social media.

Current London Mayor Boris Johnson recently opened a 'severe weather' shelter for homeless in Harrow as the mercury dropped.