On the night of Wednesday, November 29, it froze for the first time this autumn in London. This chilly turn of events made the distribution of winter coats scheduled for December 1 in a Gothic church in the borough of Ealing a timely event. Organized by volunteers from the parish and members of the EASE association (who prefer not to name the church for security reasons), it is intended for asylum seekers and refugees in this West London district. More than a hundred families and young men have gathered in a hall adjoining the Anglican building, waiting patiently for their turn.
"A maximum of one adult and child's coat per person," EASE manager Larissa Pelham told a dozen other volunteers. Her charity, founded in 2022, is at the forefront of a new kind of crisis, which is getting worse as winter approaches. This year, the British Home Office has decided to speed up the processing of asylum applications to clear a huge waiting list (134,000 backlog cases by summer 2023). The aim is to empty the hotels requisitioned to house applicants whom the British state is legally obliged to accommodate. In September, these emergency accommodations were still costing British taxpayers £6 million (around €6.994 million) per day.
In October 2023 alone, 16,000 asylum decisions were made by the Home Office, with an acceptance rate of 75%. But the good news is systematically accompanied by a letter of eviction - new refugees have from 28 days for the lucky ones to just seven days to leave their hotel and find accommodation on their own. "It's impossible in such a short space of time to get your BRP [Biometric Residence Permit needed to assert rights as a resident], open a bank account, look for work and get a roof over your head," stressed Pelham, "especially given that in the hotels, asylum seekers were not allowed to work and were fully catered for, including meals. Now they suddenly find themselves without any support."
Given the shortage of social housing in England, especially in London (with over 1 million people on the waiting list) and rising rental prices, over 53,000 refugees could find themselves homeless by the end of 2023, warns the British Red Cross. Some are even forced to sleep on the street - a situation never seen before. This is the case of Hassan, a 26-year-old Iranian man we met in the church, who has just spent the night outside. His voice weak, his English hesitant, he hopes to see a doctor later today - he's fallen ill. "I had to leave the hotel in seven days after waiting a year for my residence permit. I have no job and no family here," he murmured.
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