The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) have published a report about homelessness among people refused asylum in London.
In the context of a cost-of-living crisis, and the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report examines the experiences of homelessness of asylum-seekers in the capital.
Sarah Teather, Director of JRS, said: “It doesn’t have to be this way. The asylum system shouldn’t make people homeless”.
She added:
“For years, JRS UK have supported people made destitute by the asylum system – and we see the crushing impact destitution has on them. This new report shares their stories, and the reality it reveals is horrifying.
“People who sought safety here are plunged into homelessness and danger, left vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and life-threatening illness. This is not new. Some people we work with have lived like this for decades, as an intentional consequence of successive governments’ policies.”
She concluded, saying:
“This must, finally stop. The government has an opportunity to take a new approach. It must now end the Hostile Environment and enforced destitution.”
You can read the report now, download below:
Join JRS for their webinar on Wednesday 18th September 5pm where people with lived experience of asylum destitution and JRS UK staff will present the findings of the report.
To find out more about JRS and the work they do, visit their website here.
