A new joint report by the charities Refugee Action and NACCOM, the No Accommodation Network, has revealed that vulnerable people refused asylum in the UK, including pregnant women and those with serious mental health conditions, are being failed by the Government’s asylum support system, leaving them homeless and unable to feed or clothe their families.

The report MISSING THE SAFETY NET, which features evidence from 200 asylum support applications to the Home Office from around the UK highlights that in some cases particularly vulnerable applicants are being made to wait for up to seven times the Government’s own recommended time limit for a decision on their application for support. Despite being legally entitled to support, long delays are forcing them into homelessness.

UK legislation requires the Government to support people refused asylum who are destitute and meet a narrow set of criteria, under Section 4(2) of the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act. For example, if they are unable to return to their home country through no fault of their own, they are without official documentation, their country refuses to accept they are a citizen, or they are physically unable to travel, through illness or late-stage pregnancy.

Full report can also be accessed here.