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Housing and Support Services for Asylum Seekers and Refugees: a Good Practice Guide John Perry © Chartered Institute of Housing 2005 1 903208 98 X

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Housing and Support Services for Asylum Seekers and Refugees: a Good Practice Guide John Perry © Chartered Institute of Housing 2005 1 903208 98 X H OUSING AND S UPPORT S ERVICES FOR A SYLUM S EEKERS AND R EFUGEES: A GOOD P RACTICE G UIDE This publication can be provided in alternative formats, such as large print, Braille, audiotape and on disk. Please contact: Communications Department, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Homestead, 40 Water End, York YO30 6WP. Tel: 01904 615905. Email: info@jrf.org.uk H OUSING AND S UPPORT S ERVICES FOR A SYLUM S EEKERS AND R EFUGEES: A GOOD P RACTICE G UIDE J OHN P ERRY P UBLISHED FOR THE J OSEPH R OWNTREE F OUNDATION BY THE C HARTERED I NSTITUTE OF H OUSING The Chartered Institute of Housing The Chartered Institute of Housing is the professional organisation for people who work in housing. Its purpose is to maximise the contribution housing professionals make to the wellbeing of communities. The Chartered Institute has over 19,000 members across the UK and the Asian Pacific working in a range of organisations, including housing associations, local authorities, the private sector and educational institutions. Chartered Institute of Housing, Octavia House, Westwood Way, Coventry CV4 8JP Tel: 024 7685 1700 Fax: 024 7669 5110 Website: www.cih.org The Joseph Rowntree Foundation The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has supported this project as part of its programme of research and innovative development projects, which it hopes will be of value to policy makers, practitioners and service users. The facts presented and views expressed in this report, however, are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Homestead, 40 Water End, York YO30 6WP Tel: 01904 629241 Website: www.jrf.org.uk Published in association with hact (the housing associations’ charitable trust) Hact develops solutions to issues concerning people on the margins of mainstream housing provision. For further information about hact and its refugee housing integration programme please visit www.hact.org.uk hact, Octavia House, 50 Banner Street, London EC1Y 8TX Tel: 020 7247 7800 Email: hact@hact.org.uk Housing and Support Services for Asylum Seekers and Refugees: A Good Practice Guide John Perry © Chartered Institute of Housing 2005 1 903208 98 X Layout by Jeremy Spencer Cover illustration by Sandra Howgate Printed by Genesis Print & Marketing Whilst all reasonable care and attention has been taken in compiling this publication, the publishers regret that they cannot assume responsibility for any error or omission that it contains. Readers should take legal, financial and other appropriate advice before taking any specific action in relation to this subject. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers. iv C ONTENTS Foreword by Jon Rouse, Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation ix Acknowledgements x Glossary xii Chapter 1 About the Guide 1 What is the purpose of the guide? 1 Who is it for? 2 How was the guide compiled? 2 How is the guide organised? 3 Chapter 2 The Challenge for Housing Organisations 4 The importance of housing 5 Asylum seekers, refugees and new migrants – definitions 6 Migration, asylum seekers and refugees – some basic facts 7 Chapter 3 People and their Needs 10 Who are they and where do they come from? 10 The needs of newcomers to the UK 12 The asylum process 15 Other ways in which refugees may enter Britain 19 Chapter 4 A Place to Live 21 Section 1: Policy and Good Practice Guidance 22 Asylum seekers, refugees and new migrants as ‘customers’ 22 Routes into accommodation and support – asylum seekers 24 Routes into accommodation and support – refugees 27 Refugee housing options in more detail 31 Routes into accommodation and support – other new migrants 35 Rough sleeping and destitution 35 Section 2: Practical Examples 37 Accommodation and support for asylum seekers 37 Initial accommodation and support for refugees 38 Permanent housing for refugees 42 Chapter 5 Building a New Life 46 Section 1: Policy and Good Practice Guidance 47 Developing support services for individuals and families 47 Assessing support needs 49 v Housing and support services for asylum seekers and refugees Housing-related needs 55 Immediate wider needs 56 Longer-term needs 60 Section 2: Practical Examples 62 Options for housing-related and wider support services 62 Practical examples of support on particular issues 65 Chapter 6 Living in a Community 71 Section 1: Policy and Good Practice Guidance 72 Aims at community level 72 Elements of a ‘community support plan’ 74 Section 2: Practical Examples 81 Improving personal understanding between people 81 Providing information and 'myth busting' 81 Ways of bringing people together 83 Creating local networks 84 Helping people feel secure 84 Changing perceptions more widely 85 Chapter 7 Working in Partnership 87 Principles of partnership working 87 Working with refugee community organisations (RCOs) 88 Local partnerships 92 English regional organisations 95 Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 95 Bodies at UK level 96 Chapter 8 Resources 98 Funding 98 Staff skills 102 Information resources 105 Chapter 9 Developing a Refugee Housing Strategy 108 Why have a strategy? 109 Developing a strategy 109 Relationship to other strategies 114 Monitoring and evaluation 115 Appendix 1 References and Sources used in the text 117 Appendix 2 Guidance on the legal position for housing providers interviewing new migrants 122 vi Contents Appendix 3 Legal provisions on help under homelessness legislation, housing benefit and entitlement to accommodation 124 Appendix 4 The context: national policy and how it is developing 132 Appendix 5 Practical examples used in the guide 135 Appendix 6 Contacts and sources of further information 141 Appendix 7 Key reports and publications 145 vii Housing and support services for asylum seekers and refugees viii F OREWORD The issue of how we house and provide support services to new migrants – whether asylum seekers, refugees, or people who come here to work – should be high up the agenda of housing organisations. The make up of those who are homeless, or living in poor conditions, or needing some kind of ongoing support, is changing in many cities and even smaller towns. In part, this is because government policy is placing asylum seekers in places as different as Bury, Glasgow, Derby and Peterborough – often shifting their ethnic composition and service needs. In part it is because people are choosing to settle – or look for work – in many different parts of the UK. As recent research has shown, in doing so they are likely now or in the future to contribute to the economic vitality of the places to which they go. Obviously, having somewhere decent to live is likely to be their first priority. But they will also need health care, perhaps training, a job, a school for their children. Housing organisations are well-placed to identify the need for and perhaps set up or create partnerships to provide these wider support services. And it is vital that they do so if people who are new to communities are to integrate into them. It is essential for housing organisations working in areas with significant asylum seeker and refugee populations, to understand fully the needs of different households, working with and through refugee community organisations wherever possible. At the Housing Corporation we are keen to get this message across to housing associations, and have recently published our own report Still Surviving, Now Settling, which shows how they can respond. It is one of the issues dealt with in our BME action plan for 2005-08, and one we hope will feature in BME strategies at local level. We therefore welcome this new guide from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Chartered Institute of Housing, as it goes into the practical detail which complements our wider study. It is also UK wide – reflecting government policy and practice. I have no hesitation in commending the guide and hope not only that it will be widely read but that it will help in the drive to get housing organisations much more actively engaged in providing services which – as the guide shows – are already in place in some areas, but not yet widely enough. Jon Rouse Chief Executive, Housing Corporation ix Housing and support services for asylum seekers and refugees A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS The idea for this guide came from discussions with five people closely concerned with the issues – Heather Petch at hact, Ann Branson at Leicester City Council, Sandra Skeete at Refugee Housing Association, Celia Cashman at Safe Haven Yorkshire and Alison Jarvis at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation – who also gave invaluable help as the work proceeded. The advisory group, several of whom made detailed comments, were: Michael Collins consultant (formerly of the Scottish Refugee Council) Santino Deng New Hope Refugee Partnership Jennifer Harris University of York Kurshida Mirza Housing Corporation Deborah Quilgars University of York Ian Simpson Bradford Community Housing Trust Rachel Westerby Refugee HA Ephreme Woube Ethiopian Community in Britain Sam Lister at CIH collaborated on the guide and produced the detailed material on homelessness and lettings. Bob Blackaby gave helpful comments on chapter 9, which is partly based on his work. David Ward at Refugee HA commented on government policy aspects of the draft and Myron Hinds (also Refugee HA) on aspects of support plans. Sue Lukes checked legal aspects of the text and drafted various additions. Fidelma O’Hagan commented on Northern Ireland legal issues. Several people such as Sam Lister, Naomi Cohen, Rhys Evans and Merron Simpson helpfully read and commented on draft material. Niki Walton checked the practical examples. Both hact and the Federation of Black Housing Organisations contributed directly to the guide through pieces of survey work.
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