Homeless Link has joined a coalition of leading organisations in health and homelessness to issue an urgent open letter, coordinated by Pathway, to the new Home Secretary James Celeverly expressing deep concerns over changes to Home Office practice affecting refugees granted asylum decisions.
Signatories, including the Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Nursing warn against practice that compels individuals to leave National Asylum Support Service (NASS)-funded accommodation within seven days of receiving a decision on their asylum application.
The signatories underline that these changes will likely result in dire consequences for the health of those affected and will place additional, avoidable burdens on an already stretched NHS. The open letter highlights that such a practice means that many refugees will immediately become homeless, exposing them to serious health harms of homelessness, particularly during the coldest time of the year, leading to spirals of poor health and potential loss of life.
