Coronavirus: Hundreds of refugees made destitute as Home Office ‘too slow to act’, charities warn

Those granted refugee status are being evicted from asylum support accommodation and left to find housing, jobs or state support at a time when Covid-19 has made that very difficult

Ministers said the halt on evictions would be reviewed in June, but charities are still waiting to receive an update from government, and fear many newly granted refugees and asylum seekers will fall homeless as a result (Shutterstock)

Hundreds of refugees may have become destitute during the coronavirus pandemic because the Home Office has failed to act quickly to a drop in support services caused by the outbreak, charities say.

Many granted refugee status in recent weeks have been evicted from their asylum support accommodation and left to find housing, jobs or state benefit support at a time when the pandemic has made these processes considerably more difficult.

Home Office policy states that asylum support – which consists of a space in shared accommodation and £37.75 per week – will cease after 28 days of it being granted. After which, claimants will have to obtain their own place to live and a means to support themselves.

The Home Office announced on Friday that in response to the outbreak, people who have been granted the status would not be asked to leave their asylum accommodation for the next three months.

Campaigners said that while the move was welcome, it came too late as hundreds of new refugees had already been deprived of support and fallen into homelessness and destitution since the first restrictions were announced in response to the pandemic more than two weeks ago.

They also highlighted that their financial support had stopped, so even though they were able to remain in their accommodation, many had no money coming in due to difficulty applying for benefits during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of the charities that would have usually stepped in to support these individuals are no longer open or have had to considerably reduce their services due to the pandemic, leaving refugees trying to navigate complex processes alone.

Rebaz Amwar, 26, was granted refugee status in February and subsequently his asylum support was stopped two weeks ago. He was told by the asylum housing provider Mears, a subcontractor of the Home Office, that he could remain in the accommodation given the current situation, but is no longer receiving financial support.

The Iraqi national, who applied for asylum two and a half years ago, told The Independent it was impossible to find a job due to the pandemic, and that his attempts to access state benefits had so far failed due to difficulty in both getting an appointment at the Jobcentre and opening a bank account.

Mr Amwar said he was currently surviving off a bag of dry food that he was able to pick up each week from local charity Action Foundation.

“Everything is difficult for me right now. I called the Jobcentre, I went to the building. Everywhere is closed. When I did speak to them they said I needed a bank account, but the banks are closed. This is very bad for me,” he said.

“I am happy to be granted refugee status. I was waiting for so long. The Home Office has now given it to me, but I have no money. My plan was to find a job, but I can’t find work now, and I can’t get any money from the Jobcentre. I can’t do anything.

“I have no internet, no TV, no news, nothing. I can’t afford to pay for data on my phone. I would like to listen to BBC News because I would like to know what is going on with the coronavirus, but I can’t.”

Hazel Williams, national director of Naccom, a network of members providing accommodation to refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants, told The Independent large numbers of refugees were in precarious situations after losing their asylum support.

“Even before the current pandemic, a lot of refugees were made homeless after 28 days. The problem is now compounded because where you did have night shelters or hosting arrangements to fall back on, these have either closed or aren’t taking new referrals,” she said

“At the weekend the Home Office published a letter to stop evictions from asylum accommodation, which is hugely welcome. But for many it has come too late. For almost two weeks the government has been advising people to stay at home, yet during this period they have also been evicting people from asylum support accommodation. It’s completely illogical.

“The Home Office has been slow to respond. There should have been an immediate halt on all evictions from Home Office accommodation. It’s common sense, this is a public health emergency, not a time to turf people out onto the streets.”

Ms Williams said an “already difficult situation has been made worse” because charities that would have supported destitute refugees can no longer respond in the same way to new referrals, combined with added difficulties such as the five-week wait for universal credit and the additional pressures on food banks.

“People who were already struggling to access support have had essential support and guidance significantly reduced, making them even more vulnerable, meaning they are likely to be destitute for much longer periods and reliant on charities for food.”

Julian Prior, chief executive officer at the Action Foundation, said: “The 28 day move-on period after gaining refugee status is extremely challenging at the best of times.

“However, the impact of the coronavirus has made it even more difficult to access accommodation and so many new refugees who have been evicted in the last week are likely to become homeless making it very difficult to self-isolate and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“We welcome the government’s move to halt evictions for three months but for many this decision may have come too late.”

A Home Office spokesperson confirmed that people who have been granted asylum would now be able to remain where they are, but would no longer receive financial support from the Home Office.

The spokesperson said: “The safety and health of people in our accommodation and the communities in which they live is of the utmost importance.

“Asylum seekers who would normally no longer be eligible for free accommodation or financial payments because their claim has been resolved will continue to receive support for the next three months.

“We will continue to adjust our processes and procedures where necessary and appropriate, including reinstating support on a case-by-case basis."