Two of the three charities that will benefit from this year’s Guardian and Observer appeal are directly involved in finding places for refugees to stay. Unlike previous appeal partners, Naccom and Refugees at Home are both less than a decade old. Each exists to meet a need for suitable accommodation that has recently risen sharply. While Refugees at Home began as a kitchen-table operation set up by people who wanted to open up their own homes, Naccom is a national network of 130 frontline organisations involved in housing and other services. The third charity is the Refugee Councils of Britain, whose history dates back to the creation of the UN Convention on Refugees in 1951.
In one important sense, refugees are homeless by definition. It is their flight from war or persecution in their countries of origin that has brought them to the UK. But the current shortage of affordable housing, combined with immigration policy changes and huge pressure on council budgets, means that asylum seekers and those whose claims have been granted are more vulnerable than ever to becoming rough sleepers. A recent report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimated that 400,000 of about 1.8m destitute households (those lacking two or more essentials) are migrants. It also noted that recent arrivals are most at risk and predicted that the Illegal Migration Act will lead to a further surge in homeless asylum seekers. The Red Cross suggests as many as 50,000 people could be affected.
One change in particular is responsible for exacerbating a dire situation. Since August, the notice given to successful asylum claimants to vacate their Home Office accommodation has been cut. Previously, the 28-day “move-on” period started when they received a biometric residence permit (BRP). Now, the clock starts ticking on receipt of the letter informing them that their claim has been accepted. But since they need a BRP to claim benefits and access services such as banking, the revised rules ask for the impossible. Once the permit arrives, refugees have as little as a week to find a source of income and a place to live. Given that universal credit has a built-in 35-day delay, the policy has the effect of turning successful claimants on to the street.
Ministers should listen to the Refugee Council and others calling for a rethink. Charities including Refugees at Home do crucial work filling gaps in the current system. Finding rooms for people who haven’t yet been able to find jobs that will enable them to rent their own place is part of their mission. However, successful claimants should not be forced to rely on strangers’ hospitality. The transition to independent living should be smoother. While 28 days is a bare minimum, the 56-day notice period proposed by charities is more realistic and would reduce the pressure on the voluntary sector, councils and wider public realm.
Processing of asylum claims has speeded up following a pledge by Rishi Sunak to clear a backlog of 91,000 cases. Despite the diatribes against immigration that have become his government’s trademark and the vicious folly of its Rwanda scheme, such progress should be welcomed. Further changes ought to include the reduction of the 12-month period during which asylum seekers are forbidden from working.
With our charity partners, this year’s Christmas appeal is designed to champion the rights of refugees in addition to delivering frontline support and building trust through hosting schemes. The Guardian believes that the voluntary sector plays an essential role in advocacy as well as supplying practical help, including shelter. Please be generous and give if you can.
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