Those fleeing conflict or persecution in their home countries make treacherous journeys in the hopes of claiming asylum and beginning a new life in the UK. However, upon arrival in the UK, asylum seekers face additional barriers in accessing housing, education, and employment opportunities. These barriers result in rising rates of homelessness and increased pressure on local authorities to accommodate individuals in temporary accommodation.

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The growing rate of asylum seekers arriving in the UK has coincided with the growing homelessness crisis in the past few years. For refugees and asylum seekers, after arriving in the UK and temporarily receiving Home Office accommodation, they are often plunged into homelessness 28 days after receiving refugee status. This 28-day window, known as a ‘move on period’,  allows the Home Office to evict individuals once they are granted refugee status, as they are no longer eligible to claim asylum accommodation.

Upon arrival in the UK, asylum seekers receive £8.86 per week and have no recourse to public funds. Once granted refugee status, they can then apply for Universal Credit; however, with long wait times, the first payment often isn’t received for another five weeks. Once evicted from asylum accommodation with one week’s notice, refugees are unable to secure privately rented accommodation due to limited savings and no income, leaving them at high risk of destitution.

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When an individual with refugee status finds themselves street homeless, their first point of contact is typically their local authority. However, in order to receive housing support from the council, an individual must have a priority need under Section 189 of the Housing Act 1996. Priority need accounts for pregnant women, a person with dependent children, those vulnerable due to old age or disability, and someone experiencing homelessness due to an emergency, such as flood or fire. For many refugees, they do not have a priority need, particularly single men; meaning the council has no duty to house them. The council then directs them to privately owned properties to rent, in which they face further barriers.

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Even if a refugee did have funds for a rental deposit, the discriminatory right to rent policy, which requires landlords to check immigration status, disproportionately affects non-British citizens and ethnic minorities. The Home Office's research shows that 25% of landlords are unwilling to rent to non-British passport holders. Additionally, landlords often discriminate against welfare benefit recipients, and many frontline charities defer refugees to local refugee charities for support, which lack essential services.

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There has been a 223% increase between June and September 2023 in people sleeping rough after leaving Home Office accommodation, signalling an urgent need for increased support given to refugees. The UK Government needs to recognise the barriers in place preventing asylum seekers from successfully integrating into society, building a home, and securing employment. These barriers contribute to the rising rates of homelessness in the UK and will continue to worsen if measures aren’t taken to reform the asylum system.

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