Catholic groups are at the forefront of a campaign to prevent street homeless and other vulnerable people from being evicted from the hotels where they have sheltered during the pandemic.
Closing down the scheme, which at its peak saw more than 5,400 people housed in hotels across England, will result in almost half being forced back onto the streets, they warn in a letter to the Housing Minister, Robert Jenrick MP.
Among the co-signatories to the letter, which describes the situation as “a national catastrophe in the making”, are Amanda Dubarry, Chief Executive at Caritas Anchor House; Fr Dominic Robinson, Chair of the Justice and Peace Commission in the Archdiocese of Westminster; Colette Joyce, Co-ordinator of the Justice & Peace Commission in Westminster; and Fr Dominic Howarth of Caritas Brentwood.
While the Government has indicated it wants to provide ongoing support to vulnerable and homeless people, housing support will only be available to those who qualify for welfare benefits.
According to the charities, this disqualifies some 50 per cent of those currently supported by the scheme, many of whom have No Recourse to Public Funds because they have limited immigration status - for example, asylum seekers and refugees.
With some hotels already ceasing to house rough sleepers, and more expected to do so in the coming weeks, the letter warns that people will be forced back into the streets at a time when homelessness services, such as day centres and night shelters, remain closed.
Fr Dominic Robinson SJ, who helps to run a meal service for homeless people in Trafalgar Square, told The Tablet this would be “an affront to human dignity”.
“Our volunteers from Central London Catholic Churches are meeting many more new homeless every day. Many have lost jobs as a result of the lockdown and have become destitute. There are no places to shelter them.
At the same time hotels where about 1,200 homeless in London alone are housed are closing their doors to them on July 3rd. Where are all these homeless men and women going to go? They cannot surely be returned to the streets? This would be an affront to human dignity and also a serious public health risk.The homeless situation is right now a catastrophe waiting to happen which requires immediate attention”.
His concerns were echoed by the Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service UK, Sarah Teather.
She told The Tablet: "As lockdown measures are eased and people are evicted from emergency accommodation, the government's plans to support homeless people leave much to be desired, and exclude many vulnerable migrants through no recourse to public funds rules designed to marginalise.
"This is directly impacting the destitute asylum seekers we serve at JRS UK. The pandemic continues, making it harder for them to access support from friends and charities that they normally would. They are faced with sleeping on the streets. This is a huge risk to both individual and public health. We urgently need policy change to create a safe place for everyone. At the very least, we urge an immediate pause on no recourse to public funds rules. The government must act to ensure that the end of lockdown does not mean a return to homelessness, for anyone."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We’ve been clear that councils must continue to provide safe accommodation to all vulnerable rough sleepers and support those moving on from emergency accommodation in the right way, to ensure their needs are met.
“Our new rough sleeping taskforce is ensuring that as many people as possible who have been brought in off the streets in this pandemic do not return to sleeping rough.
“To help achieve this, we have provided £3.2bn for councils to help meet Covid-19 pressures on top of specific funding for rough sleeping services. And we have accelerated plans– backed by £433m – which will deliver 6,000 additional homes for former rough sleepers across the country.”
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