'Punitive' asylum system pushing refugees into homelessness: 'It's fuelling injustice'

Lack of access to legal aid and a punitive asylum system continues to push refugees into homelessness, a leading charity has said, leaving volunteers to pick up the pieces.

Faced with a crisis, volunteer groups are buying sleeping bags and tents for refugees, said NACCOM, a network of organisations providing accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees which works to end destitution among those seeking asylum. 

It said its members helped a record number of people in 2023-24 and provided over 500,000 nights of accommodation. 

The number of people needing help who were sleeping rough doubled in a year. A total of 4,151 people had to be turned away due to a lack of capacity – almost as many as were given accommodation, an 83% increase in a single year.

As Big Issue has reported, there was a sharp rise in refugee homelessness as the Conservative government rushed to clear the asylum backlog, and there remains a chronic lack of access to legal aid for those going through the asylum process.

“No one should have to experience trauma, hardship and injustice simply because of their immigration status, but this is the reality for so many,” said Bridget Young, NACCOM’s director. 

“Every member of our communities should be able to thrive, not just survive, but that’s impossible when you don’t have a safe or stable home, or enough to eat. Urgent change is needed to ensure that the asylum and immigration system doesn’t keep driving up levels of destitution and homelessness, and fuelling injustice in refugee and migrant communities.” 

Charities and the voluntary sector are filling the gaps, which NACCOM blames on “a punitive, failing asylum system and barriers to accessing legal advice, coupled with a chronic lack of social and affordable housing and a general increase in homelessness and rough sleeping”.

Based on a survey of its members, the organisation found nearly half of the refugees who moved on from NACCOM’s services were unable to find stable, independent accommodation. The most common nationalities needing help were Ukrainian and Eritrean.

Helen Hodgson, operations director of Hope at Home, which offers hosting services for refugees, said: “As of October 2024, we have already received more referrals in the last seven months than we received for the whole of the financial year 2022–2023. 

“60% of our current guests are waiting for local authority housing; however, statutory support services are already overwhelmed and at capacity. Many people find themselves homeless, which we are very concerned will lead to further exploitation and harm.”

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