Mapped: Refugee homelessness on the rise in nearly 100 UK councils
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Exclusive: ‘Frightening acceleration’ of refugee homelessness in some parts of the country, figures reveal. Nearly 100 councils had more requests for emergency housing help by homeless refugees in the first nine months of 2024 than in the whole of 2023, new figures reveal.
![[New refugees often become homeless after they are kicked out of Home Office hotel accommodation when they receive the right to asylum in the UK]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/20/14/GettyImages-2151157024.jpg)
The number of migrants who need housing from councils after being evicted from Home Office accommodation has spiked in the past year - with new data showing that levels of need in 2024 will likely surpass 2023. Figures obtained by refugee charity Care4Calais, and shared with The Independent, show that councils have been increasingly swamped for help throughout 2024.
![[There has been an increase in asylum claims in the UK since 2021, government statistics show]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/23/09/asylum-apps-graph.jpg)
Local authorities cannot always finding housing for homeless refugees, especially if they are not deemed to be in priority need - such as having a physical illness or having children. Council housing services have struggled to cope, leaving many asylum seekers to sleep on the streets.
In total, 19,472 migrants came to local authorities seeking housing help after being evicted from Home Office accommodation in 2023, freedom of information data from 278 councils showed. And for the first nine months of 2024, the number of homeless migrants needing help had already reached 18,002, statistics from the same councils revealed.
