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Ghadah Alnasseri is head of policy and public affairs at Hibiscus
The new seven-day notice-to-quit policy puts migrant women at even greater risk
I was made homeless when I gained refugee status and now I work with women like me, so I see how dangerous the new Home Office polices are, writes Ghadah Alnasseri
When asylum seekers gain refugee status, usually after a long and arduous process, their challenges are far from over. Having been prevented from working legally, claiming benefits or renting their own property while their claim was considered, they are expected to become self-sufficient within a matter of days.
A recent change in Home Office practice has shortened this move-on period significantly, leaving thousands of refugees at even greater risk of homelessness and further harm. Migrant women recovering from trauma –including our clients at Hibiscus Initiatives – face severe risks as a result.
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The government’s National Asylum Support Service (NASS) administers accommodation and financial assistance to eligible asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. When asylum seekers gain refugee status, they lose their right to stay in NASS accommodation.
Until recently, refugees in this situation were – in theory at least – given 28 days’ notice to quit. This is far from long enough, and there have long been calls to extend the notice period. However, the situation is now much worse.
The Home Office recently changed its practice so that asylum seekers receive only seven days’ notice to leave their accommodation, having previously been granted refugee status but not received notice to quit. Charities including Hibiscus have written to the government, urging them to reverse this change in practice and extend the move-on period to 56 days.
“Due to a combination of ‘hostile environment’ policies, migrants are more likely to live in unsafe and overcrowded housing and have less access to safe and suitable housing. This makes migrant women more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, criminalisation and poor mental health outcomes”
I can empathise with the challenges that individuals face when trying to establish themselves after being granted refugee status. When I received my refugee status several years ago, I was given 28 days’ notice to vacate my NASS accommodation. This was not enough time to obtain essential documents so that I could access support and find suitable housing.
In desperation, I approached my local council. However, as a single woman without children and with no critical medical conditions, I didn’t qualify for help. They handed me a sleeping bag and suggested I look for a homeless shelter.
I had fled a war-torn homeland, seeking sanctuary in the UK. I was struggling with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and needed support to help me rebuild my life. None of this seemed to matter. I felt overwhelmed, abandoned, and was forced to confront homelessness.
I now work for Hibiscus, a national charity which has been delivering support and advocacy services to Black, Asian, minoritised and migrant women in contact with the criminal justice and immigration systems for over 30 years. Many of our clients are victims of trafficking.
The new seven-day policy piles further pressure onto an already desperate situation for many of our clients. Homelessness is a significant and growing problem for women – and often a hidden problem due to the different coping strategies homeless women use. For migrant women, the situation is even worse.
Due to a combination of ‘hostile environment’ policies, migrants are more likely to live in unsafe and overcrowded housing and have less access to safe and suitable housing. This makes migrant women more vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, criminalisation and poor mental health outcomes, as shown in our recent research on race, migration, mental health and criminalisation.
“I had fled a war-torn homeland, seeking sanctuary in the UK. I was struggling with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and needed support to help me rebuild my life. None of this seemed to matter. I felt overwhelmed, abandoned, and was forced to confront homelessness”
Earlier research by Hibiscus has shown that migrant women who are victims of trafficking and other forms of gender-based violence face multiple barriers to safe and suitable housing.
Some of our clients have already been affected by the Home Office’s change in practice. Adeela (not her real name) lives in NASS accommodation with her partner and their two children, who are in primary school. In August, they were refused asylum, but were granted permission to stay in the UK on the basis of their right to family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Adeela immediately approached her local council to start a homelessness application, but they said that they would not be able to proceed until she receives an eviction notice. Her asylum support provider is not able to provide documentation about her imminent eviction until it is formally confirmed by the Home Office.
Adeela’s family is stuck in limbo: there is nothing she can do to prepare for their imminent eviction. In the meantime, Adeela’s children have already started the school term.
Adeela says: “This has had a negative impact on my children. I’ve had to buy their uniforms, but I don’t know when and where they will be transferred to once we’re homeless. My son asks me how long he will be able to stay with his friends, but I just don’t know.”
Hibiscus has called for a transformation in the government’s response to marginalised migrant women and their children in the UK, instead of the increasingly callous policies and practices we are seeing.
A first step would be to reverse the seven-day policy and instead extend the move-on period for refugees to at least 56 days.
Ghadah Alnasseri, head of policy and public affairs, Hibiscus Initiatives
