JRS welcomes change giving refugees more time to find housing

The UK Government has announced that the move-on period from Home Office accommodation for newly recognised refugees will temporarily be extended to 56 days.

Responding on behalf of the Jesuit Refugee Service UK, Senior Policy Officer Sophie Cartwright said: "This is a positive step, and it shows what we can do when together we speak out.

"For years, JRS UK has been accompanying newly recognised refugees who are forced into homelessness by rapid evictions from Home Office accommodation. And for years our supporters have been calling for change. We are hopeful that this decision means fewer people are forced to sleep on the streets this winter.

"However, we are concerned that the countdown to eviction will start from when the government issues letters acknowledging someone's refugee status. In practice people will have much less than 56 days to actually find somewhere else to live, together with looking for a job and connecting with support systems.

"Homelessness among refugees is not a new problem and as JRS UK highlighted in our recent report Destitute and in Danger, many people seeking sanctuary here are forced into homelessness by the asylum system.

"Having acknowledged the need to begin fixing this broken system and made real movement in that direction, the government must commit to long-term solutions, including making this extension to the move-on period permanent. "

The Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK) is part of a global Catholic organisation with a mission to accompany, serve and advocate for the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced people. For more information see: www.jrsuk.net

JRS UK's report Destitute and in Danger: people made homeless by the asylum system was published in September 2024 - recommendations include permanently extending the move-on period to at least 56 days. The report can be read in full here: www.jrsuk.net/destitute-and-in-danger-report/