Mass homelessness predicted amongst refugee communities

Back in September, we joined with over 100 organisations for the Government to U-turn on a policy that would require people given refugee status to move on from Home Office accommodation in only 7 days, down from the previous 28 and well below the recommended 56 day move-on period. 

Across the UK, we are now beginning to see the impact of that policy, with increasing numbers of people presenting as homeless to charities. NACCOM has already reported a rise of 33% in the number of refugees it supported into accommodation upon last year. These accelerated evictions might even lead to the creation of makeshift refugee ‘camps’. This is yet another example of the relentless trend of hostility from the UK Home Office, seemingly determined to force people into dire poverty and distress. 

Many of the people that we work with are facing unmanageable financial stress, from those living on £9.58 in hotel accommodation to those who have recently secured refugee status facing eviction and inadequate financial support. For one person who recently contacted our Financial Inclusion team, energy prices in her new home had accumulated to £2000, and without pastoral or financial support through this transitional period, she was left alone receiving letters from debt collectors.  The Home Office should greet this transition with care, not this persistent neglect we are seeing. 

The strain of this 7-day move-on period and inadequate financial support for people who should be rebuilding their new lives is catastrophic for their physical and mental health. Charities working with people seeking safety and refugees have been calling for #CommunitiesNotCamps for years. This possibility of makeshift camps is being brewed through increasingly hostile policies, imposing destitution on people who need support and financial security. The UK Home Office, with its claims of compassion and sanctuary, is meeting people fleeing persecution with street homelessness and chronic destitution. 

Iona Taylor (Advocacy and Campaigns Lead)