Refugees are facing street homelessness. There is little housing available.
There is a lot of false information and unrealistic expectations around housing. We want to offer clarity.
North Somerset Council will not give you a house. In order to be eligible for social housing, you need to be living, by choice, in North Somerset for 2 years or working here for 1 year. Then you will be on a list and bidding for houses for a long time.
North Somerset Council will provide emergency housing and help you look for private rented housing, only if you are ‘priority need’. This is a high threshold and you need evidence of medical problems. They will then link you with private rented accommodation.
You may be referred for supported accommodation where you get a room in a shared building with staff supporting you. There are very few supported housing places. Waiting lists are long. You won’t be given emergency housing while you wait unless you are ‘priority need’
The council will tell you to find private rented accommodation for yourself. They may then help with money for the deposit and rent in advance. If you are not working you can then apply to Universal credit for help with the rent. Currently in Weston super Mare this is £429 per month if you are under 35 years old; £472 per month if you are over 35. In Bristol it is £380 per month for under 35 year old; £698 for over 35 years old. It is unlikely you will find a room in Bristol for £380 per month.
North Somerset Council will not help with a deposit if you are moving far out of area, to Scotland.
Refugees Welcome North Somerset will help you look for private rented accommodation.
Refugees Welcome North Somerset may offer temporary emergency accommodation.
Refugees Welcome North Somerset are currently able to help with emergency housing through the generosity of our supporters. This is not guaranteed.
Elsewhere in the UK, Refugees are sleeping in the street because there isn’t enough housing.
Your local connection is to the area where you received your asylum decision. If you present at another council, they are likely to refer you back to North Somerset Council.
Refugees Welcome North Somerset have found private rented accommodation for 8 people in 2 months. This is not enough to house the people leaving hotels. It is difficult to find private rented accommodation. It is competitive. Landlords prefer to rent to people who are working
If you find somewhere which is safe, clean and affordable, where the landlord is willing to be paid by Universal credit – take it!
If you have any questions, ask. WhatsApp or text for support: 07481072586
More information:
Number of homeless refugees in Glasgow doubles amid asylum backlog: The Guardian
50,000 refugees could be homeless by the end of the year: Red Cross
Thousands of refugees in England and Wales ‘face homeless Christmas’: The Guardian
Refugees face homelessness after UK hotels shut ‘as part of Tory election strategy’: National News
Birmingham: 1,000 asylum seekers could be homeless for Christmas: BBC News
Refugees in North Somerset are forced into homelessness: BBC News