Refugee homelessness has increased by 350% over the past year in England, new figures show

Rather than granting people sanctuary, achieving refugee status has increasingly resulted in people being “very likely to face destitution, homelessness and fall into crisis”, Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, noted in a report published late last year.

In the new statutory data published yesterday, it was revealed that households with former asylum seekers owed a homelessness duty has increased by nearly 150% over the past year.

Former asylum seekers were identified in 3,530 households which were owed a homelessness duty in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 148.6% on the 1,420 households identified in last year’s figures for the same period.

In London alone, there was a more than threefold increase, from 170 households in 2023 to 600 households in 2024.

When asked why refugee homelessness had continued to rise, Rick Henderson, the chief executive of charity Homeless Link, told Inside Housing: “Years of hostile government policies towards people seeking asylum in the UK created a backlog of cases at massive cost to the Home Office.

“In an effort to address the mounting backlog, the previous government – without consulting local authorities or the homelessness and migrant sectors – suddenly changed the procedure for ending asylum support once a decision had been made.”

Currently, asylum seekers who gain refugee status are given just four weeks to leave Home Office accommodation and find their own housing, alongside setting up employment, a bank account and other vital infrastructure.

Mr Henderson noted that new refugees were often given as little as seven days’ notice before being evicted from asylum accommodation.

“The new government must learn from these mistakes and increase the move-on period from asylum accommodation from 28 to 56 days, in line with the Homelessness Reduction Act,” he explained, echoing calls made in an open letter addressed to the Conservative government last year.

“This will give local authorities and charities the crucial time needed to work with people leaving the asylum system to find suitable accommodation and give them the stability to build the new life they’re entitled to.”

The letter was signed by over 100 organisations. Kristian Draper, the director of services at homelessness charity Thames Reach, said, “The introduction of the Streamlined Asylum Processing system saw a significant rise in the number of people rough sleeping.

“Extending the notice period will only help resolve this if the Home Office – in line with the government’s commitment to ending rough sleeping – is committed to ensuring that this time is spent delivering support to secure accommodation that meets people’s needs,” Mr Draper added.

A government spokesperson said in response: “We have inherited huge pressures in the asylum system, but we are working to make sure individuals have the support they need following an asylum decision and to help local authorities better plan their assistance with homelessness.

“Support for newly recognised refugees is available through Migrant Help and their partners, which includes advice on how to access Universal Credit, the labour market and where to get assistance with housing.”

A report published earlier this year found that immigration policies in the UK were making migrants, asylum seekers and refugees “destitute by design”.