Housing: Asylum

Home Office written question – answered am ar 17 Rhagfyr 2018.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Lord Hylton Lord Hylton Crossbench

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under asylum accommodation contracts, they will include housing providers in the list of public authorities with a duty to refer under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017; and if not, why not.

Photo of Baroness Williams of Trafford Baroness Williams of Trafford The Minister of State, Home Department, Minister for Equalities (Department for International Development)

The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 creates a duty on certain named public authorities to refer people to local authorities who may be at risk of becoming homeless.

Consideration has been given to making the Home Office a named public authority for these purposes in circumstances where a person is leaving asylum accommodation following a grant of refugee status. However, it was considered unnecessary to do this because asylum accommodation providers are already under a contractual duty, which predated the 2017 Act, to refer these cases to the appropriate local authority.

Asylum seekers who are granted refugee status become eligible to receive assistance with housing from their local authority in the same way as British Citizens or other permanent residents of the UK and are treated as a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable.

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