The Government’s focus on clearing the asylum application backlog
quickly is putting thousands of refugees at risk of homelessness
and rough sleeping, warns the Local Government Association
today.
According to Home Office data, there were around 90,000 decisions
on older cases forecasted to be made before the end of December
2023. The pace and scale of the Home Office’s decision-making
means that large numbers of people are already and will continue
to turn to councils for support.
The LGA, which represents councils across England and Wales, said
councils are also finding that despite efforts to improve the
system, people don’t have enough notice before they have to leave
Home Office accommodation and they are not being told far enough
in advance the numbers of people that need to leave Home Office
accommodation in order to put plans in place. With street
homelessness already increasing as a direct result, councils are
concerned that local communities will see many more people rough
sleeping over the Christmas period.
Whilst councils agree that it is right that people receive
certainty on their asylum claim, a chronic shortage of available
and affordable housing means that those leaving asylum
accommodation will struggle to find homes to move to in the
reduced time available. Councils don’t receive any funding for
people whose asylum claim has been granted and so as well as
urgent funding to ensure the backlog clearance goes smoothly for
claimants and their communities, councils also need long-term,
sustainable funding across all the programmes for all new
arrivals.
These impacts come in addition to other pressures from across
asylum and resettlement schemes. Since the start of the war in
Ukraine, over 8,000 Ukrainian households have asked for housing
support in England and councils only have until the end of
December to move more than 1000 Afghans remaining in hotel
accommodation. These pressures are further compounded by chronic
housing shortages, the cost-of-living crisis and extreme funding
shortages for councils.
Councils are already under significant financial pressures, with
an acute shortage of temporary accommodation and huge pressures
on homelessness services, with councils spending £1.74 billion to
support 104,000 households in temporary accommodation in 2022/23,
the highest figures since records began.
While the recent unfreezing of Local Housing Allowance (LHA)
rates will be helpful, the rate to determine the subsidy for
claims in respect of people living in temporary accommodation
will not be uprated as the maximum subsidy remains capped at 90
per cent of the January 2011 rates. This will mean significant
financial pressures will remain for councils.
The LGA has raised these concerns with the Minister of
Immigration but has yet to receive a response.
On behalf of councils, the LGA is asking for:
- Urgent funding to help councils put in place local support to
minimise risks of destitution, overcrowding and street
homelessness.
- Making sure people have the full 28 days’ notice they have
been promised before they have to leave Home Office
accommodation.
- Shared information about how many cases each local authority
will have to support, to help with local planning.
- A pause in asylum support cessations over the Christmas week
and during extreme weather to reduce the risk of street
homelessness.
- Urgently uprate the Local Housing Allowance rate that
determines the subsidy available for temporary accommodation,
which remains capped at 90 per cent of 2011 rates.
- A commitment to future resources for councils’ support for
those waiting for decision on the claims as part the Local
Government Finance Settlement in the new year.
Cllr , LGA Chair, said:
“Councils work incredibly hard to support asylum and resettlement
but are facing a perfect storm in the run up to Christmas which
could see tens of thousands of refugees having to sleep
rough.
“Demand for temporary accommodation is already at an all-time
high with councils struggling to source suitable accommodation
and cater for current needs. Pushing tens of thousands of
refugees out of Home Office accommodation onto councils will
overload the system and mean they simply cannot provide for these
vulnerable people’s needs.
“The Government must provide councils with more funding both
immediately for this programme and in the future for their
ongoing support for refugees, alongside better data, to help
councils protect and provide for refugees. Asylum seekers need as
much notice as possible before they have to leave their
accommodation so they have time to find work and a new place to
live.”
