Liverpool is facing an enormous influx of refugees with many of them forced to sleep rough – and in some cases, right outside local residents’ houses.
A government initiative to urgently clear a huge backlog of asylum seekers at processing centres has led to a sudden rise in the number of people looking for places to live, without the infrastructure ready to handle them. The refugees themselves have been given little time to prepare, leading to many lacking jobs or any form of security.
A group of doctors in the city have even written an open letter warning there was a “significant risk of death” for those forced to sleep on the streets during winter. One asylum seeker speaking to Sky News, Hassan, said “this country is no good for asylum”, after he fled Iraq last year.
“I have no money, no anything,” he said.
Hassan’s asylum application was rejected on a technicality. He is able to reapply, but lacks a phone or address.
The influx of refugees is also affecting local residents . One approached the broadcaster as they spoke to Hassan, it reported, and said: “We don’t want this around here. You’ve got all the neighbours worried. Imagine this is your house and your kids are playing in the garden, and you’ve got him camping here.”
Liverpool City Council have placed the blame on the government’s efforts to accelerate refugee processing before the end of the year, adding it was now dealing with an “unprecedented homelessness problem”.
A Conservative party source told the Guardian that No10 quietly scrapped Rishi Sunak’s “end-of-year” speech on stopping the boats due to the lack of met targets. “The backlog hasn’t been cleared, the Bibby is half full, our small boats plan is in turmoil…this is supposed to be our wedge with Labour,” they said.
A government spokesperson said: “As the prime minister has said, we remain on track to clear the backlog of legacy asylum cases.”
Once people are given refugee status, they are no longer eligible for the accommodation put aside for asylum seekers, but have nowhere else to go.
Following a change of Home Office policy, newly recognised refugees who had been awarded the right to stay in the UK, were, in some cases, given just seven days to leave their asylum accommodation and find a place to live. This is a reduction from the usual 28-day notice period – which many charities had already warned was not long enough.
Around £6million a year has been spent housing asylum seekers in hotels and hostels while claims are processed.
A group of doctors based in Liverpool have penned an open letter, raising their concerns about the health implications of this emergency in the city, reports LiverpoolECHO. It has been sent to other health professionals in Liverpool, and asks for the city council to provide a “practical and humane response” for the hundreds of people granted refugee status in Liverpool.
Addressed to Liverpool Council, the letter states: “It is well recognised that any period of homelessness will be harmful to one’s physical health. However, with the winter approaching fast we are concerned that, now particularly, people are at significant risk of ill-health due to homelessness. Without assistance many people will be forced to sleep rough significantly increasing risk of death.”
The city council told Sky News that it currently spends around £11million per year on asylum seekers and refugees in the region.
There are 1.2 million people waiting for social housing nationwide, according to the charity Shelter.
A government spokesperson said: “We have always met our legal obligations by providing support and accommodation for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. As the legacy backlog reduces, we continue to work with local authorities to manage the impact of asylum decisions and support is available on moving on from asylum support accommodation through Migrant Help and their partners.”
“Through our Rough Sleeping Strategy, we will continue to work not just to reduce rough sleeping but to end it completely. Some £2bn have been provided to councils to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.”
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “Liverpool, like many local authorities, has been placed under immense pressure by the government’s decision to shift the burden from central to local government without proper planning and consultation.
“As a result we have written to the government to ask for additional help and support as well as co-operation to phase the decisions to enable us to find sustainable solutions.
“We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities and have increased capacity in our frontline services to address these issues. Our current spend on asylum seekers and refugees is in the region of £11m per year.”
