A fund of £500,000 was awarded yesterday to innovative schemes that deal with youth homelessness.

Crash pads for teenagers, supported lodgings and a text message service offering housing options were among some of the schemes to win support.

Partnerships in 27 local authorities are receiving a share of the money.

Housing minister Yvette Cooper said: "Children and young people can face the most severe consequences if they experience homelessness, which can haunt them for the rest of their lives.

That is why we need to do more to help teenagers and young people who find themselves homeless alone.

This funding will help local authorities implement plans to tackle and reduce youth homelessness," she added.

National Statistics released yesterday show that there has been a 17 per cent decline in new cases of homelessness reported by local authorities since the same period last year.

The figure has not been so low since the 1980s.

However a third of new cases of homelessness involve young people under 25.