The No Accommodation Network has warned of a “shocking increase in destitution and homelessness” over the past year
Organisations supporting migrants and refugees have reported an 11% increase in demand, helping 4,146 people to access accommodation and support to avoid destitution, the highest number ever recorded by NACCOM.
This also marks an 82% increase in the number of people needing help compared to 2021/22, when 2,281 migrants and refugees were supported by frontline organisations.
The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM) is a UK membership network of 140 frontline organisations and charities that support asylum seekers, and refugees and migrants with no recourse to public funds.
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NACCOM’s annual survey data reveals that more refugees are being forced to turn to the voluntary sector for accommodation and support, despite having been granted refugee protection by the state and being legally entitled to statutory assistance.
In 2023/24, NACCOM members accommodated 1,941 refugee adults experiencing homelessness, a 99% increase on the previous year and the largest number ever accommodated by the network.
While their immigration applications are being assessed, people with refugee status are entitled to housing and Universal Credit.
In December 2022, then prime minister Rishi Sunak directed the Home Office to address a backlog of over 92,000 unresolved asylum applications, with a deadline to process all claims submitted before July 2022 by the end of 2023.
The NASS report notes that this policy decision, along with the 28-day move-on period from asylum accommodation, has led to a significant rise in refugees being evicted and becoming homeless.
As a result, NACCOM members have seen a 129% increase in the number of people needing support after leaving Home Office accommodation. Organisations also accommodated 850 people who were rough sleeping at the point of being accommodation, which represents a 125% increase compared to last year.
NACCOM warned that the voluntary sector is at capacity, with members unable to accommodate 4,151 people, an 83% increase compared to last year.
The network has recommended that the government extend the 28-day move-on period from asylum accommodation to at least 56 days.
It has also called for the introduction of a duty for local authorities and other organisations to refer migrants or refugees to the Home Office when they need accommodation or support.
Additional recommendations in the report include repealing the Illegal Migration Act introduced by Sunak’s government last year, ending hostile environment policies like No Recourse to Public Funds, and lifting the ban on the right to work for asylum seekers.
Bridget Young, director at NACCOM, said: “Our research shows that thousands of people each year are needlessly pushed into destitution and homelessness as they go through the asylum and immigration system. No one should have to experience trauma, hardship and injustice simply because of their immigration status, but this is the reality for so many.”
Young added: “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.”
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