Press Story

Latest asylum trends show faster decisions and falling backlog could push more people out of accommodation and into homelessness
Homelessness cases linked to leaving asylum accommodation more than doubled in late 2023, with similar pressures building again
IPPR calls for a “safe move-on guarantee”, so people are not pushed from asylum accommodation into homelessness

The government risks undermining its own ambition to cut homelessness unless it urgently strengthens support for people leaving the asylum system, according to new analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

As ministers seek to reduce rough sleeping and ease pressure on temporary accommodation, IPPR warns that a key driver of homelessness risk is being overlooked: refugees who leave asylum accommodation without a route into housing.

The think tank says the same conditions that drove the 2023 spike in asylum-related homelessness are now re-emerging, as faster decision-making increases the number of people moving through the system and exiting Home Office support.

IPPR analysis reveals that homelessness cases linked to leaving asylum accommodation more than doubled in a single quarter in late 2023, rising from 3,450 in July–September to 7,160 in October–December.

While that spike later fell back, levels have remained elevated, with recent quarters still seeing around 4,000 to 6,000 households that are owed homelessness support after leaving asylum accommodation.

The latest Home Office figures show that the initial asylum backlog has fallen by more than half between the end of March 2025 and March 2026 as asylum decision-making has increased. The number of people housed in hotels dropped by around a third between the end of 2025 and the end of March 2026.

IPPR welcomes this progress as faster decisions mean fewer people are left in limbo, but the report warns that progress inside the asylum system could increase homelessness without the right safeguards. As people move out of asylum accommodation more quickly, this increases the risk that they fall into homelessness and could place additional strain on councils, homelessness services and rough sleeping teams.

The new report finds that people granted refugee status are often left with too little time to secure housing, access benefits, and seek help from their local council before their accommodation ends.

Drawing on interviews with migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum across London, the North West, Yorkshire and Humber, and the West Midlands, the report highlights how gaps in the asylum and immigration systems can push people into destitution. Participants described becoming homeless immediately after leaving asylum accommodation, being locked out of support because of complex rules, and facing ongoing housing insecurity driven by insecure work, domestic abuse and long routes to settlement.

IPPR warns that unless these gaps are addressed, efforts to reduce homelessness overall will fall short. A repeat of the 2023 spike is not inevitable, but preventing it means acting before people leave asylum accommodation, not after they reach crisis point.

The think tank is calling for a new safe move-on guarantee to prevent people being pushed from asylum accommodation into homelessness. This should include:

a full 42 days’ notice from the point someone is formally told to leave asylum accommodation, rather than an earlier point in the process, with the timeframe kept under review to ensure it is working to prevent homelessness
clear and consistent extensions of asylum support where someone would otherwise be street homeless
earlier, standardised data-sharing with councils so they can prevent homelessness before crisis point
specialist immigration and welfare advisers embedded in homelessness services
a new “homelessness test” for Home Office policy changes, so ministers assess whether asylum and immigration reforms will increase homelessness before they are introduced

Amreen Qureshi, research fellow at IPPR, said:

“Reducing the asylum backlog matters – faster decisions mean fewer people are left waiting in limbo. But a positive asylum decision should not leave someone with nowhere to go.

“This is not just a housing problem or an immigration problem — it is a gap between systems. The Home Office controls when asylum accommodation ends, but councils are left dealing with the consequences when people have nowhere to go.

“If ministers are serious about preventing homelessness, they need to make sure decisions in the asylum system are planned with housing impacts in mind. "That means sufficient notice for individuals and councils, better coordination across government, and practical support before people reach crisis point.”

ENDS

Amreen Qureshi is available for interview

CONTACT

Rosie Okumbe, digital and media officer: 07825 185421 r.okumbe@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

The IPPR paper, Closing the gaps: Immigration status and homelessness, by Amreen Qureshi and Aleisha Omeike, will be available for download at: https://www.ippr.org/articles/closing-the-gaps

Advance copies of the report are available under embargo on request

References to people or households “needing homelessness support” refer to households assessed by a local authority as being owed a statutory homelessness prevention or relief duty. A prevention duty applies where a household is threatened with homelessness; a relief duty applies where a household is already homeless. In this release, figures relate to households which were required to leave accommodation provided by the Home Office as asylum support.

IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is the UK’s most influential think tank, with alumni in Downing Street, the cabinet and parliament. We are the practical ideas factory behind many of the current government’s flagship policies, including changes to fiscal rules, the creation of a National Wealth Fund, GB Energy, devolution, and reforms to the NHS. As an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society, we have spent almost 40 years creating tangible progressive change - turning bold ideas into common sense realities. www.ippr.org