Ministers risk repeating a 2023 surge in homelessness among people leaving asylum accommodation unless support is urgently strengthened, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has warned.
As the Home Office speeds up asylum decisions and reduces hotel use, IPPR says more people are exiting asylum support without a route into housing – replicating conditions that saw related homelessness cases more than double in late 2023, from 3,450 to 7,160 in a single quarter.
While welcoming faster decision-making, which has seen the number of people housed in hotels drop by a third between the end of 2025 and the end of March 2026, the think tank warns that without safeguards, progress could increase pressure on councils and homelessness services.
IPPR is calling for a ‘safe move-on guarantee,’ including 42 days' notice before asylum accommodation ends, consistent extensions where someone would otherwise face street homelessness, earlier data-sharing with councils, embedded immigration advisers in homelessness services, and a ‘homelessness test’ for Home Office policy changes.
IPPR research fellow Amreen Qureshi said a positive asylum decision ‘should not leave someone with nowhere to go,’ calling for better coordination between government departments and councils to prevent crisis-point homelessness.
‘This is not just a housing problem or an immigration problem – it is a gap between systems. The Home Office controls when asylum accommodation ends, but councils are left dealing with the consequences when people have nowhere to go,’ he said.
‘If ministers are serious about preventing homelessness, they need to make sure decisions in the asylum system are planned with housing impacts in mind.’
A Government spokesperson said: 'We are committed to successfully transitioning refugees from asylum accommodation and mitigating the risk of homelessness. That is why we extended the grace period from 28 days to 42.
'Work is well underway to close every asylum hotel, with more suitable accommodation, such as ex-military sites, being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs.'
