face hunger and homelessness

face hunger and homelessness

The Refugee Council has published a new report which reveals that newly recognised refugees are facing destitution because they receive insufficient and/or inadequate governmental support.

The report, ‘England’s forgotten refugees: Out of the fire and into the frying pan’ found that refugees have only 4 week after their asylum claim is granted, to secure an income and somewhere to live before the Government evicts them from their asylum accommodation and stops their support.

The research also showed that refugees face eviction from their asylum accommodation before securing an income or finding alternative accommodation, with as many as 81 out of 100 of those surveyed, being already homeless or on the brink of homelessness when they came to the charity. The Refugee Council estimates that last year alone, the various problems could have affected as many as 9,768 refugees.

There is no longer a UK Government funded integration service for refugees who are granted asylum, following the coalition government’s abolition in 2011 of a national programme that operated to support refugees through their transition. This has left newly recognised refugees to rely on food banks, charities or friends for access to food, money and accommodation.

The experiences of these refugees are in stark contrast to those of the 20,000 Syrian refugees due to be resettled across the UK by 2020, who benefit from having accommodation secured in advance of their arrival, and receive specialist support to help them access services, employment and integrate into British life.

To read the full report:

www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/assets/0003/.../England_s_Forgotten_Refugees_final.pdf