Increase in refugee homelessness
London Councils is increasingly concerned about the alarming increase in the number of refugees ending up homeless on the streets of London after leaving Home Office accommodation.
According to new research from London Councils, 846 homelessness presentations were made in October from refugees and asylum-seekers evicted from Home Office accommodation such as hotels. This represents a 39% increase on September’s figure. October also saw at least 112 people sleeping rough in London after leaving Home Office accommodation.
We anticipate these numbers will rise even further over the coming months as the government continues ramping up the number of asylum decisions and works to close several hotels by the new year.
While it is positive that asylum applicants are receiving decisions, it is vital the government ensure local authorities are funded to provide adequate housing, benefits and employment support arrangements to avoid refugees becoming homeless.
Boroughs are already facing enormous and unsustainable homelessness pressures, with a severe shortage of accommodation. Many boroughs report having nothing to offer refugees who are sleeping rough – such as places in hostels or other forms of emergency accommodation. This is exacerbated by the Home Office providing no funding to local authorities to support asylum-seekers in hotels since April this year.
With winter setting in, boroughs fear a spike in rough sleeping just as conditions on the streets become even more dangerous.
We're calling on the government to:
- Ensure a minimum 28-day notice period between an asylum-seeker receiving both their asylum decision and Biometric Residence Permit and being required to leave Home Office accommodation. Currently, many are only receiving a few days’ notice after receiving a Notice to Vacate letter.
- Extend the move-on period (the length of time newly recognised refugees have to leave Home Office accommodation after receiving a decision on their asylum application) to 56-days to align with the Homelessness Reduction Act and to give local authorities a meaningful period to mitigate homelessness risks.
- Fund a local wraparound support model that can be rolled out in all boroughs. This would include quick and early support, including facilitating access to employment and/or to Universal Credit, language support, and assessments of physical and mental health needs.
- Enhance Rough Sleeping Prevention grant funding to support those who are at risk of rough sleeping but who are not eligible for assistance under the Homelessness Reduction Act or Housing Act.
- Address Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) pressures and concerns. Councils do not receive any specific funding from the government for SWEP activity. Boroughs’ homelessness and rough sleeping budgets already face intense pressures and government funding for SWEP would help sustain provision. Boroughs additionally call for a halt to cessations of asylum support and evictions during the whole period of any SWEP activations.
- Ensure dialogue and better data sharing across government departments and with local authorities to ensure a sustainable and managed pace of asylum decisions.
