When people are granted refugee status - meaning the government has given them permission to stay in the UK - they were previously given just 28 days to move out of their asylum accommodation and find a new home.
28 days isn’t long enough to find somewhere to live. Many people in this situation have recently arrived to the UK, have no knowledge of the housing system or the private-rented system, and have no safety net to fall back on. Just when they should be able to start rebuilding their lives in safety, they could instead end up sleeping on the streets.
I wanna talk about the 28 days. This 28 days are not enough to apply for universal credit and open bank account, so we need at least 56 days
We know that people need at least 56 days to find somewhere to live and not become homeless. When the government brought in a pilot scheme in which newly-granted refugees received 56 days to move on from their asylum accommodation rather than 28 days, we immediately saw the benefits among the young people we work with:
- less young people forced to sleep on the streets, in parks, or on buses
- more people with a roof over their head
- more people able to start this new chapter of their lives with dignity.
Read about the positive impact we saw at Young Roots when people received a 56 day move-on period.
The government is now about to make a decision on the future of a 56 day move-on period for refugees - we have just two weeks to make sure that common sense and humanity prevails!
Please write to your MP today. Ask your MP to urge government to make sure all newly-granted refugees receive 56 days to find a new home - and make 56 days a permanent policy.
It’s the right thing to do for refugees, it’s the right thing to do for our communities, and it’s the right thing to do for the public purse - homelessness costs far more money than giving people a bit more time to find somewhere to live.