The number of homeless people is 'inevitably' on the rise as the time it takes for asylum seekers to get out of hotels drops to seven days

The Home Office is set to cut £6 million in daily housing costs for migrants. Pictured outside a London hotel. Photo: Jamie Lorriman

Successful asylum seekers forced to leave hotels within seven days, not 28, as a result of cuts in Home Office spending that have angered more than 140 refugee groups.

Charity organizations, including The Refugee Council, the Red Cross and the Shelter say this leaves UK asylum seekers in 'poverty and homelessness' because they don't have time to find a home or job, open a bank account or apply for social benefits. .< /p>

The move, taken by Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, is part of the government's attempt to cut £6m a day to accommodate 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels.

Ministers have doubled the number of asylum officers to speed up the processing of applications , and demanded that more migrants share a room as part of an effort to cut overall costs by £4bn a year and eliminate a backlog of 175,000 claims.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has ordered a reduction in the notice period from 28 days. Photo: Peter Nicholls/Reuters

However, in a letter to Home Secretary Swella Braverman and Housing Secretary Michael Gove, 140 organizations said the changes create «serious hardship for refugees.»

They warned that it was also putting «unnecessary pressure» on local authorities who have struggled to find places to house other groups, including homeless British families. “We find that local authorities have not been informed of the new measures, which means that they are not ready to respond quickly,” they said.

“A significant number of refugees already made homeless as a result of these changes, It also puts enormous pressure on the volunteer sector, including refugee accommodation schemes and basic services for the homeless.

“Demands are rapidly becoming unacceptable. This is already inevitably leading to more heavy sleep, undermining the government's goal of ending it.»

Charities Demand Reversal of Decision

The groups called on the government to rescind the decision, go back to 28 days and work to increase that time. up to 56 days as the Homeless Reduction Act recognizes that this is the amount of time it takes to find housing.

A Home Office spokesman said: an unacceptable £6 million a day.

“We encourage people to make their plans for the future as soon as possible after receiving a decision, whether it be leaving the UK after being rejected or taking steps to integrate into the UK after receiving a grant.< /p>

“We are also modernizing the asylum system, increasing productivity by simplifying and digitizing processes, and recruiting a record number of asylum decision makers, with 40 percent more positions compared to early December 2022.” .