In what can only be described as a “Catch-22”, people winning the right to asylum in Great Britain are then almost immediately being forced into homelessness because of Home Office regulations. Within 28 days of their application being accepted, asylum seekers are evicted and made homeless.
Charities predict this winter could be the worst for homelessness in decades, with the rising number of rough sleepers. The Refugee Council and other charities, including the Red Cross, want the government to ease the strict rule, saying that evidence suggests that people take up to three months to find a job, somewhere to live and get their paperwork in order, often because of inefficiencies by government offices.
One such obstacle created by government is a rule that prevents asylum seekers from completing the paperwork and organising alternative housing before being moved on from state-provided accommodation. As a result, an estimated 90% of successful applicants – with no family or friends to support them in the United Kingdom – face destitution after their asylum claim is accepted.
“Homelessness in Britain has risen by 36% in the past five years, largely as a result of cut-backs, especially to housing benefit,” said Lee Dribben, CEO, for The Ashley Foundation, based in Blackpool, Lancashire.
“Night shelters and other types of hostels already under huge strain and a rise in homelessness among British citizens, means that there are not enough beds to go round,” Dribben explained.
The Ashley Foundation is determined to offer the opportunity and the support necessary to encourage and enable personal growth and self-development. Its aim is to empower individuals to develop the necessary skills through a programme of high support and educational opportunities, which will enable them to move into independent living and successfully sustain their own tenancy.
The Ashley Foundation (TAF) is a registered homeless charity, established in 1997 for the purpose of providing accommodation and support to ‘homeless individuals in need’. Committed to treating individuals with dignity and respect, TAF is determined to offer the opportunity and the support necessary to encourage and enable personal growth and self-development. There are many and varied reasons why people become homeless. Relationship breakdown, domestic violence, young people asked to leave home, people with drug and alcohol or mental health issues who are unable to sustain an independent lifestyle and more recently due to recession, where someone might lose their job and are then are unable to pay their mortgage or rent, the list goes on and on. Helping someone to rebuild relationships with family or friends, stay in education, take up employment and training opportunities or deal with their drug and alcohol or mental health problem is as much about tackling homelessness as is securing a roof over their head. For more information visit https://www.theashleyfoundation.org.uk.
