On this page we address some key questions around the issue of destitution and the work of NACCOM and its members. Click on the questions below to find out more. For further information, please visit our Resources page or contact us.
Refugee: “A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his/her former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” The 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
In the UK, a person is officially a refugee when they have their claim for asylum accepted by the Government.
Person seeking asylum: A person who has left their country of origin and formally applied for asylum in another country, but whose application has not yet been concluded.
Person seeking asylum who has been refused: A person whose asylum application has been unsuccessful and who has no other claim for protection awaiting a decision. Some people who have been refused asylum return home (for instance using the ‘Assisted Voluntary Return’ scheme) and a small minority are forcibly returned. The majority remain to appeal their decision or to make a fresh asylum claim, however this process can be very complex and lengthy, and often requires legal assistance (for more on this, see the question ‘What is meant by ‘destitution’?)
Migrant: Any person who has moved to another country. The term ‘migrant’ is often used in reference to people who move for work (as opposed to people who, once in the UK, apply for asylum). However there can be lots of different reasons for moving to another country.
Visit the Refugee Council’s website for further information and facts about the asylum system.
‘Destitution’ is usually defined as extreme poverty, when people cannot provide for themselves.
The term is commonly used in reference to people seeking asylum, for whom the Home Office applies a ‘destitution test’ around their need for subsistence support and accommodation when they make an asylum application.
This test defines a person as ‘destitute’ if they do not have adequate accommodation or enough money to meet living expenses for themselves and any dependents now or within the next 14 days. If eligible, applicants qualify for asylum support, comprised of cash support (£39.63 per person per week – just £5.66 per day) and no-choice accommodation in ‘dispersal’ areas across the UK.
When an asylum application is turned down, people who have no right to appeal become ‘refused asylum seekers’. At this point, they lose their asylum support and cannot work, or access mainstream benefits and housing. This situation is known as having ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF).
Most of the people supported through NACCOM member organisations are people who have been refused asylum and find themselves destitute. They have often fled torture, conflict, persecution and imprisonment, and many have had to endure a traumatic journey to reach the UK, before lodging an asylum claim here. The majority fear for their lives if they go back (although this is what the UK Government expects them to do).
Those who remain in the country face destitution until they manage to re-engage with the asylum system or find another route to status. Life is extremely difficult and the risks of exploitation are high. Without charity support or community networks, people struggle to survive.
Destitution can also be experienced by refugees, who have been granted ‘leave to remain’ but face delays with accessing their National Insurance numbers and other forms of identification, so are unable to claim benefits or access employment. These problems, often caused by delays in the system, are exacerbated by the short ‘move-on’ period (28 days) that refugees have to leave their asylum accommodation after receiving their papers, and the five week mandatory wait until their first payment of Universal Credit.
Destitution can also be experienced by migrants in the UK who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF) restrictions attached to their leave to remain, meaning they have no safety net to fall back on when experiencing hardship. There are a wide range of reasons for this. Some will have faced domestic abuse but due to being on spousal visas will have no access to support. Victims of trafficking can also find themselves homeless after the 45 days of support offered in government-funded safe houses. Whatever the reason, a combination of delays and faults in the immigration system and lack of legal advice means that many people in these situations can find themselves left with nothing to live on.
NACCOM stands for ‘No Accommodation’. We represent a network of organisations that provide accommodation and support to people facing destitution and homelessness. The network has existed in an informal way since 2006 and became a registered charity in 2015. For more information about what we do, please click here.
NACCOM is a national charity with a vision to see an end to destitution. To achieve this, our small staff team supports member organisations who are providing, or looking to provide, accommodation for people seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants facing homelessness. We help projects get started, grow their capacity and work collaboratively. We also promote awareness about destitution and collectively call for changes in the system so that no one is left without a place to stay.
For more on our aims and activities see our Vision page.
All of our members are independent organisations and they all work differently. You can find out more about each organisation by visiting our Projects Directory which includes a map of members and a list of the main areas of work that each organisation does.
Housing schemes may support refugees (whose rent provides an income stream for the project), destitute people refused asylum and others who have no recourse to public funds. Examples of housing schemes include partnerships with Housing Associations, agreements with Landlord/Privately owned properties, Managed Properties, Church-owned properties and properties owned by the project (for instance, bought with donations from supporters).
Hosting schemes are typically comprised of networks of volunteers offering a spare room to someone who would otherwise be homeless, either on an emergency basis or for a longer period of time. Schemes operate differently in various towns and cities and there are also national schemes that work across the UK (Refugees at Home and Hope at Home) and match volunteers with those in need. We support new schemes to get established and develop their services – see the Hosting Toolkit for more details.
Night shelters provide a crucial source of emergency relief for those who would otherwise be street homeless. In some cases, bed spaces are available to destitute people refused asylum only but in other instances, bed spaces are offered to anyone in need. Some night shelters in the network are permanent but others are winter-only.
Our 2019-2020 annual membership survey, as detailed in our latest Impact Report, highlights that in 2019-20, 3,373 people, including 2,794 people who had been refused asylum, migrants with no recourse to public funds, and refugees, had been accommodated by NACCOM members in the last year.
Of the members involved in the survey, there were 32 housing schemes, 25 hosting schemes and 14 night shelters, collectively providing 423,552 nights of accommodation in 2019-20.
In addition to working with those facing destitution, some NACCOM Members are involved in supporting both the Syrian and Afghan Resettlement schemes. If you want to find out what is happening in your local area with resettlement, visit this website or contact your local Strategic Migration Partnership (listed below):
Because all our members operate independently, NACCOM cannot directly take referrals for service users.
If you contact us via our phone number (0161 706 0185 – open during office hours, Monday – Thursday) or our Contact form, we will endeavour to signpost you to a relevant project.
Information on all our members can also be located in the Projects Directory.
Other useful sources of information about support options for people at risk of, or facing destitution, are:
The NRPF Network – a network of local authorities and partner organisations focusing on the statutory duties to migrants with care needs who have no recourse to public funds.
Project 17 – a charity working with families experiencing exceptional poverty to improve their access to local authority support.