Thousands of refugees and survivors of trafficking could find themselves homeless after a Home Office policy change, charities have warned.
Until last month, newly recognised refugees and survivors of trafficking had 28 days to find alternative accommodation after receiving a “notice to quit” before being evicted from Home Office accommodation they had lived in while officials were processing their claims – but this has now been reduced to a minimum of seven days.
Charities had called on the government to extend the notice period for eviction to 56 days, arguing that 28 days did not give people long enough to find new accommodation, get a job or access benefits.
While councils have an obligation to provide emergency accommodation to families with children, adults who do not have children may not be eligible for that support and are at risk of finding themselves homeless.
The Guardian spoke to one woman who is a survivor of trafficking and who has been granted leave to remain by the Home Office. She was living in a two-bedroom flat with her 13-year-old daughter, who she says is settled at school. While she welcomes the Home Office granting her leave to remain, she said: “I was shocked the Home Office only gave us seven days to find a new place to live. My hands are still shaking.
“We started packing but we don’t know where we are going. We know council housing waiting lists are very long. Things were stable and now they are messed up. I haven’t been able to close my eyes and sleep since I got the eviction notice. My daughter has been crying and asking if she will still be able to go to school.
“I received the eviction notice on Monday last week and we were evicted [on Monday 14 August]. I just had to leave most of our belongings behind. We had to go to the council as homeless and the council didn’t tell us until 5pm [on Monday] that we were going to get any accommodation.
“We are in a hotel room in the same area as the Home Office accommodation but if we get moved again my daughter might not be able to go back to the same school in September and I might not be able to continue with the university course I am doing. The Home Office took six years to make a decision about my case and then they evicted me within a week.
“Having only seven days feels like just seconds. I have gone through a lot with what happened when I was trafficked and I am very vulnerable. We need more time to sort everything out.”
Zoe Dexter, of the Helen Bamber Foundation – who is supporting the woman and her daughter – condemned the new Home Office policy and warned that it will lead to a big increase in homelessness. She said: “People want to move on from asylum accommodation and start rebuilding their lives, but they need a reasonable amount of time in order to do this safely.
“Seven days is simply untenable and puts thousands of survivors of trafficking and refugees at increased risk of homelessness, destitution and exploitation as they face eviction with nowhere to go.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “ Our policy has not changed, an asylum seeker remains eligible for asylum support for a prescribed period from the day they are notified of the decision on their claim.
“This is clearly communicated to the individual in writing. 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.”
