Birmingham: 1,000 asylum seekers could be homeless for Christmas

Councillor Jayne Francis blames the government's delays in processing asylum claims

Up to 1,000 asylum seekers in Birmingham could be homeless by Christmas, the city council has estimated.

Jayne Francis, cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said this was an unprecedented number.

She blamed huge delays from the government in processing asylum claims.

"It puts enormous strain on housing during an already difficult time due to the cost of living crisis," she said.

Ms Francis said "an estimated 1,000 asylum seekers" would leave Home Office-supported accommodation between 1 August and 31 December 2023 and many would seek assistance from the council.

The estimated number stems from the Home Office's decision to fast-track its approach to decision-making, for some asylum seekers.

The city council said in Birmingham three years of decisions will be made in a few months.

If an asylum seeker gets a positive decision, they will have to leave their government-supported accommodation and seek an alternative.

But they could also have to wait for a residence permit before they can open bank accounts and find accommodation, which means they often have trouble finding somewhere to live.

"The government's decision to increase volumes of decisions to this level without due notice and risk mitigation will undermine this work and, without doubt, will lead to a rise in homelessness over both the immediate and longer term, in Birmingham and elsewhere in the UK," Ms Francis said.

She said the council and its partners would "address the issue as best we can" to ensure refugees can settle in Birmingham.

"These refugees will have been fleeing from horror and persecution, and as City of Sanctuary since 2015, Birmingham will continue to do all it can to provide support and a welcome to these vulnerable people," she said.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted the Home Office for a statement.