Join our growing community and help build brighter futures and reduce rough sleeping
Each year, local authorities carry out a physical count of rough sleepers on a particular night and the Government uses these figures to arrive at a single figure for the number of people sleeping rough on a ‘typical’ night. This year’s data paints a grim picture with numbers rising for the second year in a row. Rough sleeping has increased in every region of England compared to last year, with the largest increase in London where there were 1,132 people in 2023 compared to 858 people in 2022 – an increase of 274 people or 32%.
These figures are not news to those working in the homeless sector, with anecdotal evidence from homeless service providers suggesting that Government efforts to reduce the huge backlog of asylum seekers are forcing many newly-granted refugees into homelessness. This is because people who have recently been granted asylum in the UK are being evicted from Home Office accommodation without enough time to find alternative accommodation.
In response to this crisis, Christian homeless charity, Housing Justice, has recently launched the Refugee Lodgings Project in London which enables resident landlords to rent out their spare room to a refugee lodger for six months while they re-build their lives and find a more permanent home. Housing Justice supports both the lodger and the resident landlord, who is expected to charge rent in line with the Local Housing Allowance.
Former Housing Justice CEO, Kathy Mohan OBE, said: “Across the country communities are concerned about rising numbers of people being forced to sleep rough. The Refugee Lodgings Project offers a practical solution that people can get involved with to make a difference in their community. Landlords receive tax-free income and refugees are provided with a room and a chance to adjust to life in the UK, while being supported by Housing Justice. The Project has the potential to help many people and build on similar successful schemes Housing Justice runs.”
If you are interested in becoming a resident landlord or would like to find out more about the Refugee Lodgings Project, please click here.
Making an Impact - is a series of blog posts introducing organisations based at the Social Justice and Human Rights Centre, commonly known as The Foundry, in the heart of Vauxhall.