Tariq hands over his ID for us to sign him in. It’s a few months since we’ve seen him and he has good news to share. A slow smile spreads over his face as he watches our reaction.
“Congratulations Tariq, well done!”
Tariq is handing us his residence permit; he has been granted Leave to Remain in the UK.
Tariq is from Sudan; in his mission to start afresh in the UK he has climbed so many hurdles to get to this point but the biggest is yet to come, that of finding somewhere to live. He has been issued his eviction notice from his asylum housing and has just 28 days* to find accommodation, a job (or apply for benefits), set up a bank account and all the other trappings of a new life.
For accommodation his first port of call with be with Bolton Council’s Housing Options Department, locally known as “The One Stop Shop”. He will be registered as homeless and then for the bidding process. Now he has to compete with everyone else. As a single male with no dependents and no serious issues health issues, he will be low priority. There is the option of a loan but it’s not likely to cover the cost of a rental deposit.
He is facing homelessness. Aside from night shelters (in short supply), local charities (few and stretched) and sofa surfing, he will probably end up on the streets. The local authority has no duty of care. Throughout 2023 and 2024 the Casework Department at DP (The Destitution Project) received an ever-increasing demand for help from refugees in this situation. This was mirrored across Greater Manchester. In March 2024 GMCA (Greater Manchester Combined Authority) wrote to the then Home Secretary James Cleverley and Michael Gove, Minister for Levelling Up, to draw attention to the crisis and demand action. From the letter:
“The link between the dramatic rise in rough sleeping across all ten boroughs and the start of accelerated decision-making is clear……this is an acute phase of a persistent long term trend linked to Greater Manchester’s disproportionate share of the national dispersed asylum population”.
At DP we witness the impact on refugees each week. The anxiety and frustration; the desperation as they learn that not even we can put a roof over their heads.
For Tariq, homelessness is nothing new. After refused claims, when his right to accommodation and support was withdrawn, he sofa-surfed between friends until our Casework Team reinstated it via Section 4. When he was destitute, he came each week for a meal and a food parcel. He has struggled with the cost-of-living crisis and, with massive cuts in legal aid, the challenge of finding legal representation.
At DP we will do what we can to signpost Tariq, and dozens like him, to the services that can help him move on. In the meantime the work goes on and another refugee is left without a room at Christmas time and beyond.
*For a brief period in 2023 the transition period was reduced to just 7 days.
