Last updated: 25 November 2024

What is destitution?

Destitution means the inability to afford basic essentials such as food, shelter, heating, and sanitation.

Destitution has reached unprecedented levels in the UK. According to the charity Crisis, the homelessness system in England is at breaking point: the cost-of-living crisis, rising rents, and widespread destitution are causing homelessness levels to rise, and making it harder for councils to provide people with effective support. The ‘cost of living crisis’ refers to a period of time during which the cost of everyday essential items and tasks like food and bills increases more quickly than average household income. The UK has been experiencing a cost of living crisis since late 2021, and most of the population has been affected in some way. However, the impact of the crisis is felt most intensely by individuals and families who were already struggling on low or no income.

As confirmed by this report published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, migrant communities have a higher risk of destitution. The report reveals the following:

• Migrant destitution is growing rapidly, especially since 2019. It is estimated that 1.1 million migrants, including over 330,000 children now live in destitution in the UK.
• The risk of being destitute is estimated to be 35% higher among migrant families in the UK than the national average. This is partly due to a lack of access to the mainstream welfare safety net (this means benefits, and other public services).
• For those in the most severely affected group – those with extremely low or no income – migrants made up the largest group, with 59% of households having less than £60 per week to live on after housing costs and 38% having no income at all.

There has been a rise in the rates of homelessness amongst migrants due to the government’s increasingly hostile immigration policies, such as evictions from asylum hotel accommodation. As a result, at the end of 2023, the number of homeless refugees in Glasgow alone had doubled, and tens of thousands of refugees faced homelessness in the UK, as confirmed by the British Red Cross.

The homelessness charity Crisis releases a yearly report called the Homelessness Monitor. The 2023 report can be accessed here. It recognises:

“… the fundamental tension between current immigration and homelessness policy in a context where over half of all people sleeping rough in London are non-UK nationals, many of whom will have No Recourse to Public Funds or other restricted eligibility for statutory support”.

Additionally, the report confirms the homelessness impacts of the Ukrainian and Afghan refugee crises, and wider asylum dispersal pressures which increase the pressure on local authorities to provide temporary accommodation, with no clear solutions for longer-term accommodation for these groups.

Destitution increases the likelihood of other risks, including: work exploitation and modern slavery, homelessness, and poor health. 

You can read more about Work Exploitation and Migrant Workers’ Rights in our Toolkit page here.

You can read more about Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in our Toolkit page here.

Key reports

Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) published a report called ‘Understanding Migrant Destitution in the UK’ in May 2024 which explores the effects of UK immigration policy on migrant destitution in the UK, with a particular focus on the role of local authorities in all four nations of the UK. The report ultimately finds that ‘…this parallel welfare system is dysfunctional and unable to provide adequate support for the increasing numbers of people facing destitution and unable to access the mainstream welfare system.’ 

The Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) and the Boaz Trust also published a report in May 2024 entitled ‘A Slow Violence: How immigration control forces people in Greater Manchester into destitution’. The report outlines how migrants in the Greater Manchester area enter into destitution, what their experience of it is, and how they are/not able to escape it. It goes on to outline key recommendations for undoing this reality. You can read the report here.

Undocumented migrants

An undocumented migrant is someone who does not have leave to remain in the UK or has overstayed or broken the terms of their leave. Because of this, they have a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition by default. You can read more about NRPF in the section below.

The Institute of Housing Rights has a useful, accessible page for ‘People who are destitute’ which includes information on how to resolve your situation. It also has crucial information for people living as undocumented migrants in the UK. You can access this resource by clicking the button below.

Support from the local authority is available for migrants who are undocumented. See the sections on Section 17 support (from Section 17 of the Children Act 1989) and support under the Care Act below to learn more.

Poverty on asylum support

If you have claimed asylum, and do not have anywhere to live and/or money to support yourself, you may be able to get asylum support. This is provided by the Home Office and, depending on your circumstances, can include housing and/or basic living expenses.

Asylum support is provided by the Home Office while your asylum claim is being considered (this means while you are waiting for a decision), or after your claim for asylum has been refused. You can learn more about asylum support in our Toolkit page.

In reality, many people on asylum support are struggling with poverty and destitution. This is due to several reasons.

First, the Home Office has consistently failed to fulfil its duties to provide adequate (this means good enough) asylum support. Asylum support is under £50.00 per week or just £9.58 a week for people living in a hotel. This allowance is meant to cover everything, from food and household products to transport, to baby formula or school uniforms for families with children.

In 2023, the High Court found that the Home Office failed to meet its minimum obligations in providing support to people who have come to the UK seeking asylum. You can read more about the court case in our blog here.

Second, people on asylum support are prevented from working in the first year of waiting for an asylum decision, and then they are only given very limited permission to work. People in the asylum system who are granted permission to work are only able to work specific jobs, and they are paid at a lesser rate than a person settled in the UK would be paid. In this way, people are made to rely on the extremely low levels of so-called asylum support. You can read more about permission to work in our Toolkit page.

The organisation Asylum Matters published a report called Surviving in Poverty which reveals the challenges that people who receive asylum support experience. The key findings of the report reveal that, of the people on asylum support who were interviewed:

• 91% don’t always have enough money to buy food
• 75% can’t always afford the medicines they need
• 85% struggle to afford the cleaning products they need
• 97% experience difficulties affording the clothes they need
• 65% face challenges affording the toiletries they need
• 95% can’t always afford to travel where they need to by public transport
• 88% don’t always have the data and phone credit they need
• 83% say asylum support payments aren’t enough to cover the rise in the cost of living.

Third, due to the Home Office backlog (delay) in making asylum decisions and the fact that the courts do not have capacity to hear the number of appeals, people are stuck in the asylum support system for months, if not years. As confirmed by the Refugee Council’s Lives on Hold report:

“…the asylum support system was created to provide temporary support to people for a limited period of time. It wasn’t envisaged that people would stay on support for months and years because the plan was to make swift decisions on asylum claims and either grant protection in the UK or remove people.”

Instead, people remain stuck in this cycle of destitution. This has a serious impact on their:

• integration and interaction with wider society.
• mental and physical health.
• children’s development. For more on this, see the incredible work of the Magpie Project here.

If you are on asylum support and struggling to meet your basic needs, please see the list of key support organisations below.

Asylum Support discontinuations and homelessness

People who receive a grant of refugee status on their asylum claim after 4 November 2024 will be affected by the change to eVisas.

If you receive a positive decision on your asylum claim, and are granted refugee status, you will receive a letter from the Home Office granting them refugee status (grant letter). The grant letter will now also have details of how to log in to your UKVI account to access your eVisa. It is very important to keep the letter safe, and to make a note of UKVI account login details so that you can view and use your eVisa

After you have received your grant letter, you will later receive an asylum support discontinuation letter (ASDL). After receiving this second letter, you will then have 28 days to complete the ‘move on’ process, during which time you will need to use your eVisa to access benefits, housing, employment etc.

You will also continue to be notified of this end of support date in a ‘notice to quit’ (NTQ) or ‘notice to vacate’ (NTV) letter from your accommodation provider. The NTQ/NTV should be issued around the same time as the ASDL but it is stated that accommodation providers will give at least 7 days’ notice. 

So, if you have been living in asylum accommodation, you will need to leave 28 days after you receive your asylum support discontinuation letter (ASDL), not 28 days after you receive your grant of status letter. 

Some people are able to move in with friends, or to have help with renting privately. Others need more help, and can take a look at the resources we have listed in our ‘What happens after you get refugee status?’ page.

Duty to house survivors of modern slavery

If you have received a positive conclusive grounds decision from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for recognition as a survivor of modern slavery or human trafficking, and have been granted temporary permission to stay, Chapter 25.22 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance says that:

“…A person who has been a victim of trafficking or modern slavery may have a priority need for accommodation if they are assessed as being vulnerable according to section 189(1)(c) of the 1996 [Housing] Act.

…In assessing whether they are vulnerable a housing authority should take into account the risk of the applicant being re-exploited and advice from specialist agencies providing services to the applicant, such as their assigned support provider under the NRM, or other organisations who are providing support including drug and alcohol services, local charities and the police.

…Many victims of modern slavery suffer from poor mental health and often lack support structures in the area they are residing. If a victim of modern slavery is threatened with homelessness or is homeless this significantly increases their risk to being re-trafficked or exposed to further exploitation…”

So, if you have received a positive conclusive grounds decision and have been granted temporary permission to stay, you are eligible for homelessness assistance. It might be worth sharing evidence of this vulnerability (for example, letters of support from your support worker and/or first responder) to your local council in order to seek housing support. You can read more about applying for homelessness support in the section above.

No Recourse to Public Funds and destitution

No Recourse to Public Funds (also known as NRPF) is a type of condition placed on temporary visas to limit access to ‘public funds’, including certain benefits, homelessness assistance, and social housing. Approximately 1.4 million people are thought to be affected by the NRPF condition in the UK, and this includes people with undocumented status. It is extremely difficult to live with a NRPF condition attached to your visa or leave to remain in the UK. This policy has been found to be unlawful in court several times. You can read more about its unlawfulness here and here.

Local Authority support

Section 17 and Care Act support is available both for people with visas with a NRPF condition, as well as for migrants who are undocumented. Read on to learn more.

Section 17 support

Section 17 support comes from section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Section 17 is available for children who are ‘in need’ and their families. You might be able to access support if your child’s health or development is significantly affected by your circumstances. For example, if you and your children are homeless or about to be homeless, or you do not have enough money to provide your family with essential things (like food, travel, clothes). Section 17 support is not determined by immigration status. 

Support under the Care Act

If you have care needs resulting from a mental or physical health condition, you may be entitled to care and support from your Local Authority, even if you have no recourse to public funds. Sometimes this support may include the provision of accommodation and a limited amount of financial assistance, where these things are necessary to meet your care needs. People who are caring for adults with such needs may also be entitled to this kind of support. 

Your local authority should conduct what is called a Community Care Needs Assessment to decide what support you need.

Applying as homeless to local councils

The Chartered Institute of Housing Rights has a very helpful resource outlining what it means to apply as homeless to a local council, and when/how to do this. You can access the full guide here.

It says –

So, to apply to a local council for support with homelessness, you must:

• Be eligible (check here for different eligibility criteria, which depend on whether you are a British/EEA citizen or a non-EEA citizen)
• Be legally homeless or know you will be homeless within 56 days
• Be in ‘priority need’ (due to vulnerability)
• Not be ‘intentionally’ homeless (this means on purpose, if you have alternative options)
• Have a ‘local connection’ (this means a tie to the place, for example if it was your asylum dispersal location) OR no connection to any local council area in the UK. This is because local councils have a duty to house someone who has a connection to their constituency, or who is in their constituency and does not have a connection to anywhere else in the UK.

The concept of a ‘local connection’ is very important to bear in mind for people who have just obtained Refugee Status and may wish to relocate to a location away from their asylum dispersal accommodation. Refugees in the UK have a unique, permanent local connection to the place they are living in at the time they receive their grant of status from the Home Office.

For example, this means that if you receive Refugee Status while you are living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, you will have a local connection to Tower Hamlets council for the purpose of a homelessness application. If you were living in Leicester at the time when you received Refugee Status, you will have a local connection to Leicester City Council but if you move to London, you will not have a connection to any local councils in London. People outside of London coming into London are within the general homelessness cohort and will not be prioritised.

You can never lose an existing local connection, but you can always add to it. For example, if you used to live in London but then start a family and start working in Glasgow.

The organisation Law for Life recognises how complicated the homelessness application process can be, so they created the below flowchart to make the process more accessible. It includes key links to further information.

Claiming Universal Credit (benefits)

Universal credit (UC) is a cash social security benefit for people aged under 66, administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It helps you with living expenses (including rent) if you have a low income.

To qualify for universal credit you must:

• make a valid claim;
• sign a ‘claimant commitment’ and comply with any work-related requirements set out in it; and
• be an eligible person.

Newly-granted refugees may currently be facing some issues in claiming Universal Credit due to the introduction of eVisas on 31 October 2024, which have replaced Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards. To learn more about the shift to eVisas, please read our guide.

Key destitution support organisations

We have a Right to Remain Directory of groups whom we have had direct contact with across different regions of the UK. Many of them use the Toolkit in different ways, enabling all of us to understand and share the struggle of navigating the hostile asylum and immigration system. You can look through the directory to browse support organisations in your area.

We have also listed some organisations below that provide support for destitution and homelessness.

National support

• Crisis – Crisis is a national homelessness charity that provides advice and support. You can access their help here. They have 9 centres across the UK in Birmingham, Brent, Coventry, Croydon, Edinburgh, London, Merseyside, Newcastle, Oxford, South Wales and South Yorkshire. Access one of their centres here.
  
• Shelter – Shelter is a national homelessness charity that provides advice and support. You can access their website here and select whether you are in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland so you can be provided with accurate information and access to support. They provide advice on homelessness, benefits, repairs and housing conditions, evictions and more. You can find your closest Shelter services in:
  • Wales here.
  • Scotland here.
  • England here.
  • Northern Ireland here.
    
• Law Centres – A law centre is a charity that provides free legal advice. There are many across England and Northern Ireland. You can access the list of law centres here. 
  
• No Recourse to Public Funds Network – A national network safeguarding the welfare of destitute families, adults and care leavers who are unable to access benefits due to their immigration status.

London

• St Mungo’s – St Mungo’s is a homelessness charity helping people who are sleeping rough in London and the south of England. They have services/accommodation in every borough of London, as well as in Bath, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Brighton, Bristol, Leicester, Oxford and Reading. You can learn more here.
  
• Glassdoor – Glassdoor is a homelessness charity which provides shelter, support (including daytime support) and advice to people in London. You can access their services here.
  
• The Magpie Project – The Magpie Project provides support to pregnant women / mothers of small children who are at risk of homelessness or in temporary accommodation in Newham.
  
• Sufra NW – Sufra is a charity that provides a foodbank, and community support and advice in Brent.
  
• C4WS Homeless Project – C4WS provides shelter, advice, and community support to people experiencing homelessness and destitution. You can access their help here. 
  
• CARIS Haringey – CARIS provides advice to families experiencing homelessness in Haringey.
  
• Haringey Migrant Support Centre – offers free advice and casework support on immigration, housing, homelessness and destitution. You can access their services here.
  
• Union Chapel – UC is a church and drop-in centre for people experiencing homelessness in Islington. You can access their resources here.

Manchester

• Boaz Trust – Boaz Trust is a Manchester-based charity supporting people who have become homeless after claiming asylum. You can read about their resources here.
  
• Coffee4Craig – Coffee4Craig is Manchester-based, and services include advice, support, hot meals, and respite from the streets. 

• Mustard Tree – Mustard Tree is a charity that helps people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Manchester, and services include food, clothing, accommodation, training and support. Access their resources here.

North East

• Crisis Newcastle – Crisis Skylight Newcastle supports people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

Yorks/Humber

• Destitute Asylum Seekers Huddersfield (DASH) – DASH provides immigration/asylum legal advice and welfare support in Huddersfield. You can read about their services here.

West Midlands

• Refugee and Migrant Centre – RMC is Black Country and Birmingham-based, and services include drop-ins and advice on immigration, employment, education, welfare benefits, destitution and homelessness. 

• SIFA Fireside – SIFA Fireside is a charity that provides prevention, intervention and recovery services for people sleeping rough in Birmingham.

East England

• Suffolk Refugee Support – Suffolk Refugee Support provides advice and support on education, employment, access to immigration advice, housing, utilities, welfare benefits and more, by appointment and also by telephone advice.

South West

• Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support – DCRS supports people seeking asylum and refugees to access legal representation, financial support and appropriate housing.
  
• Harbour Housing Cornwall – A homelessness charity working across Cornwall. 
  
• PATH Plymouth – Plymouth Access to Housing is a local homelessness charity in Plymouth offering housing support to refugees.

• St Petroc’s/Breadline Centre – Offer Resource Centres for housing support in Truro and Penzance.

South East

• Worthing 4 Refugees – Help with housing, community and emotional support in Worthing.

Scotland

• Safe in Scotland – Help with emergency and temporary accommodation in Glasgow.

• Scottish Refugee Council – Direct support (including helpline), help with employment, destitution, and more.

Northern Ireland

• Simon Community – NI’s leading homeless charity, offering specialist support on homelessness prevention, accommodation services, health, and support for young people.