Thousands of Refugees Face Homelessness as Home Office Reverses Accommodation Policy

Thousands of refugees may become homeless this winter after the Home Office reversed a policy allowing asylum seekers more time to find accommodation before being evicted from hotels. The decision, made in response to Labour's extension of the "move-on" period from 28 to 56 days, will leave refugees with a significantly reduced timeframe to secure housing and support. Charities have warned that the move will increase homelessness and destitution among newly granted refugees.

Key Takeaways:

• The Home Office has reversed a policy that allowed asylum seekers 56 days to find accommodation before being evicted from hotels, citing a need to "turn the chaos around" inherited from the previous government.
• Charities, including the British Red Cross and Care4Calais, have expressed concerns that the move will lead to a surge in homelessness and destitution among newly granted refugees.
• Data shared with The Independent shows councils were increasingly swamped by requests for emergency housing help from homeless refugees throughout 2024.
• Over 32,000 asylum seekers are currently living in hotels, according to government data from June 2025.
• The "move-on" period was initially extended from 28 to 56 days in December 2024 by Labour, citing concerns that thousands of refugees were turning up homeless.
• Alex Fraser, director of refugee services at the British Red Cross, stated that the reduced timeframe will increase levels of homelessness and destitution among newly granted refugees.
• Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, argued that cutting the "move-on" period will not only harm newly granted refugees but also communities and councils that are picking up the tab for increasing homelessness.

Statistics:

• Over 32,000 asylum seekers are currently living in hotels, according to government data from June 2025.
• 6,000 fewer people are living in hotels due to the decision-making backlog cleared by the government in the first half of 2025.
• It takes around 35 days to receive Universal Credit.
• 56 days are required for local authorities to work with households at risk of homelessness.
• The reduced "move-on" period from 56 to 28 days will likely lead to increased homelessness and destitution among newly granted refugees.

Sources:

• The Independent
• British Red Cross
• Care4Calais