Homeless people evicted from hotels and denied housing despite ministers’ claim emergency support is ongoing

Councils are facing legal action after vulnerable people were told to leave hotels with nowhere else to go. May Bulman reports

One man who said he felt suicidal after being told he had to leave hotel accommodation where he has been living since March 2020 (Stock)

Homeless people are being evicted from emergency housing and denied support despite government claims that a scheme to keep people off the streets introduced at the start of the pandemic is ongoing.

A number of local authorities are facing legal challenges after vulnerable individuals, who cannot access state benefits due to their immigration status, were told to leave emergency housing or turned away when asking for homelessness support in apparent breach of government guidance.

The only option provided to many of these individuals has been to accept an offer of “voluntary return”, meaning they would be sent back to their home country, even if they have immigration status in the UK.