Mayoral candidates call for action to help refugees facing having to sleep rough

The first paperwork new refugees receive is an ‘eviction notice’ from their asylum centre
PA

The amount of time refugees are given to find secure housing once they are granted asylum should be more than doubled, according to the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate.

Luisa Porritt called for refugees - some who have fled horrific violence and persecution because of their sexuality - to be given 60 days to find somewhere to live in the UK.

She also supports recommendations from the Refugee Council for City Hall to provide a fund to help new refugees afford a deposit for private rented accommodation in London.

She told the Standard: “We absolutely support the Refugee Council’s calls and agree City Hall can play a vital role by providing a fund to help refugees with deposits.

“We also believe the ‘move on’ period for refugees should be increased from 28 days to 60 days.”

It comes as it was revealed on Friday that many private landlords pull out of tenancies when they learn a tenant is a refugee.

Many refugees are also left unable to pay the steep deposits required in the capital because they are not allowed to work during their asylum application period.

The Refugee Council called for an urgent intervention from the Mayor of London and asked candidates to support its proposals of a deposit fund and better education for private landlords.

Siân Berry, the Green Party’s candidate, said that as a private renter herself she can sympathise with refugees who are left facing the prospect of sleeping rough.

“I can only imagine how difficult it must be to navigate London’s housing crisis as a refugee,” she told the Standard.

“As mayor I will fix this problem by setting up a new City Hall service specifically to help refugees find housing, including finding deposits for a home.”

The spokesperson for the current mayor Sadiq Khan said he had been “working closely” with the Refugee Council through City Hall’s Migrant and Refugee Advisory Panel (MRAP) to “better understand the barriers to refugee resettlement”.

They said this included the importance of tenancy loan deposit supporting, adding: “MRAP are also part of the mayor’s equality, diversity and inclusion advisory board ensuring that all of the mayor’s policies and plans for London’s recovery have the needs of refugees at their centre.”

The Conservative candidate to become mayor, Shaun Bailey, did not reply to several requests by the Standard for comment.

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