Why we are proud to support recently settled refugees and why the Government’s U-turn on Home Office eviction period is a backward step – In conversation with London Housing Advisors Molly and Alex.
“The thing I love most about working in Housing Advice is that we don’t turn anyone down,” says Housing Advice Manager Molly. “Unlike other services, you don’t need to meet any criteria to seek support. We can help anyone as long as they’re 16 to 25 years old. That approach also means we tend to catch those people everyone else has rejected.”
Molly’s comments are indicative of Depaul’s belief in the intrinsic value of all people and our commitment to dignity, compassion and care, especially of those in marginalised communities – a belief that is deeply rooted in the teachings of St Vincent de Paul who we remembered this week on his feast day – 27 September. It’s one of the reasons we are proud to support refugees across our services.
At the Housing Advice service Molly manages across Greater London, the staff have seen an increasing number of people recently given refugee status as the Government speeds up its processing and shortens its asylum-seeking eviction notice period.
“A high proportion of the young people we see have had to leave Home Office accommodation quickly,” she says, “without enough time or support to make onwards arrangements. They sometimes don’t speak the language very well or have enough information about where to get support – and they are far less likely to have any kind of network to lean on. By the time they reach us, several weeks might have passed. Weeks when they are likely to have slept rough.”
Alex, a housing advisor who works with Molly, agrees “Over the past two years, the eviction notice period has fallen from 28 days to seven days, then back up to 28 days, then temporarily to 56 days (the number of days that councils have under the Homelessness Reduction Act to prevent homelessness) – and is now back down again to 28 days, which just isn’t enough time to stop someone sleeping rough on the streets.”
Alex explains, “The private rental market is impossible to afford, the social housing sector is non-existent for most people, the local authorities are buckling with funding cuts, and the supported accommodation we relied on is now closing down at an alarming rate – putting even more pressure on those that remain open. The old routes to accommodating people are simply blocked. It’s just impossible for someone who had nothing to begin with to sort themselves out in 28 days.”
“What worked brilliantly’ says Molly, “was from the summer of 2024 when we had 56 days. Before that, people were coming to us when they were being evicted tomorrow, and we were having to turn around and tell them they were probably going to have to sleep rough for a while. With the 56 days, people were reaching us with three to four weeks left to spare. And that was like ‘oh, my goodness, this is brilliant. Thank you. You’re here so early. It really gave me hope.” Alex agreed, “We could finally do homelessness prevention instead of homelessness firefighting.”
At Depaul UK, we passionately believe that everyone should have a safe place to live and a chance to contribute positively to their community. The young people we see have sometimes fled wars, spending long periods of time without a home, job, or a family to support them. They’ve often walked from country to country and experienced untold amounts of trauma and sorrow. Most only want to find safety and the opportunity to support themselves and their families in a community that accepts them. Our vision is of a society in which everyone has a place to call home and stake in their community.
“The biggest problem is the practicalities,” says Molly. A person with recently settled status can’t just walk out of Home Office accommodation and get a job, because they don’t have an address, or the language, or the knowledge to make the networks and connections needed to get a job. That takes time.
“And then they need to fight,” she continues. “Without an income, you can’t pay for private rental, so you have to wait for supported accommodation, which can take months. All that time you are probably sleeping on the streets. The damage that can do to someone’s physical and mental health can be irreparable.”
Alex points out that this approach doesn’t make good economic sense either: “The cost of dealing with homelessness after a person becomes homeless is always higher than preventing it. In support services, in emergency accommodation, in hospitals and in mental health support. Firefighting is very expensive.”
Preventing homelessness before it begins is key to our strategy. It’s key to reducing the financial costs to society of treating homelessness, and more importantly, it’s key to protecting the physical and emotional wellbeing of those affected. Supporting someone to avoid rough sleeping and homelessness is more than giving them a bed for the night. It’s giving them the opportunity to stay strong, build resilience, live a dignified life, achieve their potential, and positively contribute to their community – an opportunity we believe everyone deserves and one St Vincent de Paul would have wholeheartedly approved of.