REFUGEE HOMELESSNESS CRISIS
Home Office halts eviction of newly recognised refugees from asylum accommodation amid mounting pressure and plummeting temperatures
The Home Office is to stop evicting newly recognised refugees from asylum accommodation over Christmas and during extreme cold weather amid mounting pressure from councils, charities and The Big Issue.
Evictions will be paused from 23 December to 2 January, as well as when the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is active, bigissue.com readers learned in an exclusive this month.
As growing numbers of refugees were evicted into homelessness after being granted asylum, councils had been crying out for help, support and an immediate halt to the evictions.
An investigation by The Big Issue found 1,500 refugees were made homeless between August and October after leaving Home Office accommodation.
An effective reduction in the minimum notice period asylum seekers are given to find a new home once evicted, plus a huge increase in the number of claims being processed, has caused a widespread crisis as refugees are pushed onto the streets.
The government had previously promised to clear the legacy backlog of asylum claims by Christmas, moving tens of thousands out of Home Office hotel accommodation.
The cold weather pause comes despite repeated assurances that evictees were given enough time and support to find somewhere else to live.
Pausing evictions is a good sign, but not sufficient to prevent homelessness, Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, told The Big Issue.
“Just stopping evictions for a short time isn’t enough. By giving them very limited time to start
