Refugees in North Somerset are forced into homelessness, says charity

Farshid has said he may have to sleep on the streets if he can't find somewhere to live soon

Refugees are becoming homeless after failing to hit Home Office deadlines to find accommodation, it is claimed.

Donna King, chief executive of Refugees Welcome North Somerset, said people are not given enough time to find a place to live once they've gained refugee status.

"We just have barriers, we're just setting up people to fail," she said.

The Home Office said "pressure" on the asylum system has grown, and costs have risen.

A North Somerset Council spokesperson said the increased resources provided by the Home Office to enable asylum claims to be processed faster has resulted in "an increase in numbers of households requiring assistance".

"There have been occasions when households have only been issued with seven days' notice which puts significant pressure on individuals, statutory services and voluntary agencies to find employment, housing and benefits," they said.

"Rough sleeping numbers in North Somerset remain static."

Farshid, a chef from Iran, has been staying in a hotel in North Somerset for two years.

He has recently been given refugee status and can stay and work for at least five years.

He said: "In Iran, life is very hard. You're working very hard and there isn't enough money for life."

He explained came to the UK to "start his life".

He said he is excited about looking for jobs in hospitality after two "hard" years waiting in the hotel, but he has not yet been able to find accommodation.

"I don't know where I will go, maybe the street?" he said.

"We asked the council, they said they don't have anything for me."

Donna King is chief executive of Refugees Welcome North Somerset

Ms King said: "For the first time, we are seeing people in North Somerset being made homeless as a result of receiving their asylum claims.

"So they've got the right to live and work in the UK - which should be a positive time - but it comes with notice to leave their temporary accommodation."

The Home Office explained that people get 28 days to move on from hotel accommodation.

They then get a "notice to quit" support letter issued at least seven days before the accommodation is due to end.

A Home Office spokesperson added: "We encourage individuals to make their onward plans as soon as possible after receiving their decision, whether that is leaving the UK following a refusal, or taking steps to integrate in the UK following a grant."

'Vulnerable to abuse'

But North Somerset Council and Refugees Welcome North Somerset report they are still seeing instances where people are still being given seven days to get a job and find accommodation, which goes against the Home Office guidelines of 28 days.

The Home Office has been approached for further comment on this.

Ms King said they have been left "scrambling" around trying to help people and blamed the housing market saying it is "inaccessible" to anyone.

"I'm worried about the people who have disappeared," she said.

"Those people are vulnerable to abuse, to exploitation, to attack and they are very visible."

Speeding up the asylum process has led to more people leading accommodation, North Somerset Council says

John Penrose, MP for Weston-super-Mare, said the asylum process needed to be made simpler.

He added: "It's great we're speeding up processing of asylum claims to unblock the system and empty the hotels.

"That means the rest of the system needs to speed up too, otherwise we're just swapping an asylum problem for a homelessness and joblessness problem, and condemning legal migrants to being dependent on handouts when they could, and should, be standing on their own two feet."