'I don't have a buoyancy aid': Living without the Bank of Mum and Dad

Buying a home or even moving into a rented property is an increasingly unrealistic dream for many young people.

This summer, BBC Your Voice revealed more than 40% of 25-year-olds were now living with their parents. Dozens of young people told us they were having to rely on the so-called Bank of Mum and Dad to help cover rent, bills and other living costs.

But what happens if you cannot rely on help from family? Citizens Advice says increasing numbers are struggling to afford everyday essentials like rent and food without support from their parents.

Three women told us how they are navigating life without that safety net.

'I want to be independent... so when you get to this kind of thing it's like hitting a wall'

Eleanor Bell, 23, from East Riding of Yorkshire, has a first-class degree but is struggling to find work

Eleanor Bell is now 23, but was taken into care when she was 10. She grafted hard to do well at school and got a first-class degree from the University of Central Lancashire.

After graduating two years ago, she thought the playing field would even out. It hasn't.

Eleanor says she has applied for more jobs than she can count and had a handful of unsuccessful interviews.

She's currently living in her boyfriend's home outside Penistone in South Yorkshire, which helps with living costs, but the rural location has made the job hunt harder for someone without a driving licence.

"I know a lot of people who've got jobs because their mum or dad worked there before them."

When she saw a BBC article about how many young people now live with their parents, she got in touch.

"I guess it makes me a bit sad. I'd like to live with my parents... but it made me think about the people like me, the people that don't have that, what are they doing then? Where are they? Who do they have to fall back on?

"It's like everyone in their 20s is having to tread water, but I haven't been given a buoyancy aid," Eleanor tells the BBC.

Official figures show that 39% of care leavers aged 19 to 21 in England are not in education, employment or training, compared with around 13% of young people overall.

"I want to be independent and so when you get to this kind of thing it's like hitting a wall."

For Eleanor, it's not just financial support and the roof over her head that she's missing.

"You don't have someone to hold you and go, 'Look I've done the same thing, but don't worry' … that lack of preparation I think really does affect you," she explains.

"I don't quite know what to do, that's how I feel, just a bit lost. I'm just back to being in the dark without a torch kind of thing, that's what it feels like."

'I don't buy any luxuries, I rarely do anything fun'

Sam Barrett, 24, from Sunderland, is studying part-time. She left her full-time job to care for her mum

In Sunderland, Sam Barrett, 24, feels frustrated that others her age have a financial back-stop that isn't available to her.

She left her full-time job in the hospitality business to care for her mum and is studying health and social care part-time, but says that Carer's Allowance and Universal Credit don't cover her main expenses.

"Not a lot is coming in, you only get so much being a carer. I don't buy any luxuries, I rarely do anything fun," she says.

Her mum helps financially when she can, but there's not a lot of money to go around and Sam says she's conscious of that.

"I've always felt it was a bit unfair growing up and seeing other people being at a massive advantage compared to me. Like a lot of parents would be like, 'here's money for driving lessons, and here's your car', and I can't just do that," she says.

Sam's angry there isn't more pay for carers like her. "I'm saving the government money by caring for my mam. The government aren't doing anything to help you, they're basically saying just get into debt."

'My parents were struggling financially, just like I am, just like everyone else'

Ezgi Polat, 23, from Cambridgeshire, lost her job a year ago and quickly fell behind on rent and bills

In a recent survey of more than 5,500 people, commissioned by Citizens Advice, 36% adults said they were behind on at least one bill, but for those in their 20s that figure climbs to 57%.

Ezgi Polat is one of them. When the 23-year-old, from Ramsey in Cambridgeshire, lost her job 12 months ago, her family weren't in a position to help, so she quickly fell behind on rent and bills.