Council alarm as number of homeless refugees soars in UK cities

The eight English "core cities" and Glasgow have reported "overwhelming anecdotal evidence" to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Home Office of "increasingly large numbers of refugees applying as homeless".

At a recent meeting in Sheffield with a government official, council managers were told to keep precise record of the numbers to present to the ODPM.

The ODPM confirmed that if the data collated backed up local authority claims, action would be taken.

Leeds council has been collecting data since October last year. Its figures (see box) make for grim reading and will resonate with other council asylum services departments around the country.

The issue of homeless refugees is a growing area … that we are struggling to deal with Council source

Tina Cooper, asylum services manager, said: "We have seen a huge increase on previous quarters. From just December's figures we can see a large increase on the previous month again." Iraqi Kurds made up half of Leeds' 162 claims.

"The reason there are so many coming forward as homeless is twofold. There is a lack of available affordable accommodation, and, if refugees formerly supported by the National Asylum Support Service, they have 28 days after being accepted as refugees to find alternative accommodation.

"The second reason – and this is based on more anecdotal evidence – is that more and more refugees are coming from outside Leeds to settle here. They come because of the informal network that has developed in the refugee communities here."

Paul Clarke, assistant director of housing need in Leeds, said: "There's nothing special about Leeds as far as this is concerned – it is happening in every other major city. We are all pushing from every angle possible to get government to do something about this."

A source in one of the other cities who wished to remain anonymous, said: "We are in the process of collecting figures to present to the government. We have noticed a trend in an increase in the number of former asylum seeker families presenting themselves as homeless."

The source added this was because of the shortage of time for families that had been accepted as refugees to find alternative accommodation. "The issue of homeless refugees is a growing area for us and to be honest one that we are struggling to deal with," she said.