Home Office policy leaving refugees homeless within days of being granted asylum, report finds

A Home Office policy is leaving newly recognised refugees homeless within days of them being granted asylum, charities have warned.

A new report seen exclusively by The Independent suggests more than one in four homeless people using night shelters are refugees, with some going to shelters as early as one week after being evicted from asylum accommodation.

The research, carried out by charity the No Accommodation Network (NACCOM), finds that 28 per cent of guests in a sample of night shelters had been granted refugee status. Although some of the shelters catered only for immigrants, the figure shows a large number of refugees are being affected.

The findings identify a direct link between the Home Office policy of giving newly recognised refugees only 28 days to vacate asylum accommodation – known as the “move-on” period – and the high prevalence of homelessness among refugees in the UK.

At Boaz Trust shelter in Manchester, 29 per cent of refugees surveyed were known to have left their asylum accommodation within the previous six months, while at another shelter in London, the figure stood at around 50 per cent.

The proportion of homeless people who are refugees is considerably higher than the overall proportion of refugees in Britain, with the number of people seeking asylum and recognised as refugees comprising less than 0.25 per cent of the total UK population, according to UNHCR – the UN's refugee body – data.

NACCOM accuses the Home Office of implementing policies that are “drastically out of sync” with efforts by other government departments to prevent homelessness, reduce rough sleeping and support the integration of refugees into British society.

The report recommends that the move-on period is extended to 56 days, giving newly recognised refugees longer to access housing support and find accommodation before they are evicted, which it says would bring Home Office policy in line with wider legislative changes.

Under the Homelessness Reduction Act, a new law brought in last month, the period of time that someone can be deemed “threatened with homelessness” is extended and allows local councils more time to reduce risks by developing personal support plans and providing free advice.

The research highlights how refugees cannot benefit in the same way as other applicants to these changes because they only have 28 days before eviction, and they have no way of knowing when their decision will come.

Thangham Debbonaire, Labour MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees, told The Independent the report was a “devastating indictment” of the government’s refugee policy.

“Refugees have fled war, torture and the most horrific disasters. They have every right to be here and deserve to be welcomed,” she said.

“When people have their refugee status confirmed, it should be a day of joy and celebration, after an arduous journey and a long bureaucratic process. Yet for too many, it is a day of distress as they have nowhere to go and often end up on the streets.”

Hazel Williams, NACCOM’s national director, said: “This report shows the shocking reality that people who come here in search of safety and are indeed granted that protection from the UK government are then forced into destitution. The work of our members to prevent this from happening is commendable but should not be necessary.

“The UK government’s insistence that refugees need just one month to access benefits and housing, sometimes after years of waiting for a decision without being able to work or access mainstream support, is unrealistic and outdated.

“Against a backdrop of limited social housing, hostile policies towards migrants trying to access private housing, rising street homelessness and delays with Universal Credit, extending it would be a simple, humane response with a lasting impact.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection.

“If an asylum seeker is granted refugee status or humanitarian protection they have immediate and unrestricted access to the labour market and many mainstream benefits. Failed asylum seekers are expected to return to their home country, but if there is a genuine obstacle preventing them from returning they can apply for continuing support from the Home Office.”

The department works “closely” with the Department for Work and Pensions, it added, to “ensure that newly recognised refugees engage promptly with Jobcentre Plus and the local authority about these matters”.

It said refugees aged 18 or over could apply for “integration loans” to pay rent deposits.