“I felt relief, honestly, because I was homeless. That was the main thing. I felt a sense of ‘now I can breathe.’”
The far-reaching impacts of having safe accommodation can never be underestimated. For Halima,* it meant peace of mind, stability and the opportunity to move forward with life in the UK. This was an opportunity she would take hold of with both hands.
Before she moved into a Boaz house for women with refugee status, Halima had been managing to navigate life in the UK well, but the uncertainty of her housing situation had left her in limbo.
“I consider myself one of the lucky people, you know? My English level is good. I knew how to navigate. I was volunteering and even though I was in limbo with the housing situation, I met a lot of amazing people that were kind and hosted me in their homes.”
Despite being an incredibly capable and resilient person, Halima still faced the barriers that the UK asylum system imposes on all who seek safety here. When she was granted refugee status, she had just 28 days to leave her Home Office accommodation. This is not nearly long enough for anyone to find somewhere to live (particularly in the midst of a housing crisis), open a bank account and secure employment or set up a Universal Credit account.
“I wish people understood how hostile and mentally draining it can be.”
Although the Government did temporarily extend the move-on period to 56 days as part of a pilot, they later reverted back to 28 days, and have since settled on a new 42 day move-on period. While we of course welcome any extension to the 28-day move-on period, this was a missed opportunity to do something meaningful to prevent homelessness among people recently granted refugee status.
This is hugely disappointing. It will push more people like Halima into homelessness, as well as placing increased pressure on local authorities and voluntary sector services. This is something we’ve written about extensively in our recent report on preventing refugee homelessness.
At Boaz, we see what can happen when people have the headspace and security that comes from stable accommodation. We asked Halima about what changed for her when she moved into a Boaz house:
“For me, the biggest change was having my space, you know, a space where you can sit, relax, think. And it gave me time to focus my energy on getting employment. I moved in in August and by November, I had full time employment. That was the biggest change.”
Halima now works as a Nursing Assistant at a hospital. As we chat about what her role involves day to day, it becomes clear that this is a job she enjoys - and one she’s good at.
“My day-to-day involves anything and everything basically that helps the patients get well and have a good experience at the hospital. That could be assisting with the daily living requirements, whether it's feeding, washing, helping to walk, toileting, everything. But I also have my clinical duties that I need to do, like doing the charting for the patients, monitoring their input and output, doing bloods if the doctors have requested bloods, ECGs, bladder scans and all that.”
Halima has lived in Manchester since 2023. As we chat, she tells me that her favourite things about the city are its walkability and the friendly atmosphere. When she’s not working she enjoys swimming, photography and going for walks.
As someone who has had direct experience of navigating the UK asylum system, I ask Halima about what she thinks needs to change.
“I hope that the UK can allow people to utilise their skills while they're waiting for their asylum because at the end of the day, I'm not into politics, but it just pushes people to work illegally. I feel like there are a lot of people who have different skills and maybe just to utilise them, whether it is through voluntary programmes or something structured, rather than just leaving people sitting doing nothing.”
The right to work for people seeking asylum is something that Boaz and many other organisations in the migration sector have long campaigned for. The current ban wastes the talents of thousands of people, preventing them from living in dignity and supporting themselves and their families. As we call for the Government to lift the ban, it’s vital that the experiences and voices of people like Halima are at the forefront.
*Name changed and story shared with Halima's consent
Leaving behind the uncertainty and limbo of homelessness gave Halima the space to breathe and the opportunity to use her skills. We know that housing is the key that unlocks so many other areas of life.
By giving today, you could be part of more stories like Halima’s. Your gift will provide much-needed accommodation that has far-reaching impacts on individual lives.
