LGA have warned thousands of refugees could face homelessness this Christmas

The Local Government Association (LGA) have said town halls across England and Wales are facing high demand for temporary accommodation this festive season.  

Currently, the government are working to house refugees who have come to England. However, as more cases of asylum seekers have risen, the chance of homelessness has tragically increased.

Shaun Davies, chairman of the LGA said: ‘The run-up to Christmas could see tens of thousands of refugees having to sleep rough.

‘Demand for temporary accommodation is already at an all-time high with councils struggling to source suitable accommodation and cater for current needs.

‘Pushing tens of thousands of refugees onto councils will overload the system and mean they simply cannot provide for these vulnerable people’s needs.’

In response to this, Kama Petruczenko, from the Refugee Council, has called for the move-on period to be extended to at least 56 days to help set new refugees up for success and allow them to thrive in new communities.

There have been reports some refugees have been given as little as a week’s notice, although immigration minister Robert Jenrick rejected this when it was put to him in parliament last month, saying the Home Office’s policy remains 28 days.  

However, the LGA have said that the festive season, especially Christmas week, should be a period that isn’t counted towards the overall number of days’ notice given.

The organisation have said this pause, which they should also be implemented during horrific weather conditions, could reduce the risk of people sleeping rough.

Although, data that was published earlier this month showed that the Home Office showed the legacy backlog of asylum applications stood at 33,253 as of 29^th October. This means that over 16,000 applications still need to be sorted through before 31^st December, casting doubt that new refugees will receive a safe place to stay before Christmas.

Image: Naomi August

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