Home Office wants RSLs to house refugees

19 Jun 03
Asylum seekers are to be diverted away from private landlords into homes owned by councils and housing associations. The Home Office is appealing to more social landlords to offer accommodation when the National Asylum Support Service renews contract.

20 June 2003

Asylum seekers are to be diverted away from private landlords into homes owned by councils and housing associations.

The Home Office is appealing to more social landlords to offer accommodation when the National Asylum Support Service renews contracts in 2005.

At present, most asylum seekers are placed in private accommodation after the NASS rushed into signing block contracts with private landlords two years ago.

According to a report published this week by the Chartered Institute of Housing, some of the accommodation is of poor quality – even though the government frequently pays above-average rents.

Susan Hadland, acting head of the Home Office's community cohesion unit, told the CIH's annual conference in Harrogate on June 17 that the government would like a more positive response from social landlords so that it can take a more holistic approach to asylum-seeker services.

Although some local authorities house asylum seekers if waiting lists permit, housing associations have expressed doubts over contractual details. Concerns include whether asylum seekers should be evicted when their applications to remain in the UK fail.

Hadland said councils and registered social landlords were in a strong position to challenge the negative myths about asylum seekers in much of the media.

'We realise that there have been disincentives in the past,' she added. 'We intend to address these before contracts come up for renewal.'

Heather Petch, director of the Housing Associations Charitable Trust, told Public Finance that it would have been better if the NASS had communicated more effectively with RSLs in the first place. 'The fact that they didn't engage social landlords has caused problems in a lot of areas.'

The CIH report, Providing a safe haven, said housing agencies have a mixed track record in dealing with asylum seekers, with local authorities responding to the dispersal demands of the Home Office with 'varying degrees of sensitivity'.

PFjun2003

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