More than 50,000 refugees in the UK could be made homeless by the end of the year unless ministers take urgent steps to support them as it clears the asylum backlog, the British Red Cross has warned.
The government has pledged to process all “legacy” asylum applications – made before 28 June 2022 – by the end of the year. Based on those currently in asylum accommodation the charity estimates that 53,100 refugees will be at risk of homelessness if the government meets its target.
The problem has arisen because the Home Office has speeded up the 28-day “move-on” process – the period after which people are forced to leave their state-provided accommodation once granted refugee status, leaving some people with as little as seven days to move out.
The Red Cross is calling on the government to immediately reverse changes to the move-on period and extend it to 56 days to allow more time for newly recognised refugees to find housing, employment or benefits.
Alex Fraser, British Red Cross director for refugee support, said: “People who have been forced to flee their homes have already experienced unimaginable trauma. They need stability, support and to feel safe – making people destitute only causes more distress and hardship.
“Once they get refugee status, they need more time, not less, to find housing, work or benefits. It takes at least 35 days to start getting universal credit and local authorities need at least 56 days to help them find accommodation.”
Since the changes to the “move-on” period at the beginning of August, British Red Cross refugee services have seen a 140% increase in destitution for people they support with refugee status, from 132 people in June and July, to 317 people in August and September.
London, north-west England and Glasgow have particularly high numbers of people in asylum accommodation at risk of destitution, as well as high housing pressures as shown in an interactive map drawn up by the Red Cross.
Seána Roberts, the manager of the Merseyside Refugee Support Network in Liverpool, said almost 100 refugees had approached the centre for help in the past two months.
Roberts has warned colleagues in local health services of the incoming “horrific” situation. “I think we’ll see deaths in the parks and on the streets due to hypothermia and ill health because how are people meant to survive.”
Other refugee charities have confirmed that there is a homelessness crisis unfolding.
Leyla Williams, of the charity West London Welcome, said their service was overwhelmed by people newly granted refugee status who are facing homelessness. “The government is dooming recognised refugees to destitution,” she said. “Some new refugees are sleeping on the steps of the hotels they were accommodated in as asylum seekers as they have nowhere else to go.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We do not recognise these forecasts. All asylum applications are considered on individual merits. We encourage individuals to make their onward plans as soon as possible after receiving their decision, whether that is leaving the UK following a refusal, or taking steps to integrate in the UK following a grant. We provide support for refugees to access jobs, benefits and housing.”
