The Refugee Welcome Programme - Homelessness

The Refugee Welcome Programme

The Greater Manchester Refugee Welcome Programme is Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s response to the sharp increases in new refugee homelessness seen in 2023-24. Transitioning from the asylum system has long carried a high risk of homelessness and – with proper resourcing, local partnership-working and national-local collaboration - we see this as entirely preventable. To reinforce, test and learn from existing efforts to prevent and relieve new refugee homelessness, GMCA funded three voluntary sector organisations to work with new refugees and people seeking asylum who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The funded organisations worked in close partnership with Local Authorities and other voluntary and community sector services to respond to this challenge.

We want to design homelessness out of the asylum system in Greater Manchester so that refugees in our city region can settle, live well, and thrive. Taking a targeted approach to working with people who have recently left asylum accommodation and those who are still within the asylum system, is crucial to achieving this aim.

The Boaz Trust

Between June 2024-May 2025, the Boaz Trust worked with homeless single adults deemed ‘non-priority’ need for Local Authority accommodation, helping them to access the private rented sector through person-centred one-to-one support and ‘tenancy-ready training’. During this time, Boaz Trust supported 92 moves into accommodation for new refugees experiencing homelessness, and supported clients to meet their holistic needs, including support to access welfare support, health, basic essentials and English language classes.

Additionally, the Boaz Trust offered training and resources for VCFSE organisations and refugees themselves to help them better understand the statutory homelessness system and find pathways into private accommodation.

The Boaz Trust (external website)

Refugee Action

Refugee Action’s Asylum Crisis Service provides expert advice, casework and legal advocacy on accommodation and support issues to those in the asylum system who are based in Greater Manchester. The service supports people to re-gain access to asylum support and accommodation where that support has been discontinued prematurely and supports people to access appropriate accommodation that meets their needs.

Refugee Action will also be delivering a series of face-to-face ‘Information briefings’ to people seeking asylum to better prepare them for life after they receive an asylum decision. This will include sessions on The Asylum Process, Asylum Support, Integration, Move-on (including realistic housing expectations and housing advice) and Wellbeing Skills.

Refugee Action (external website)

Migrant Destitution Fund

As part of the Greater Manchester Refugee Welcome Programme, MDF received funding to provide cash grants to people with asylum backgrounds who face destitution, to help them to get back on their feet and access pathways to support. Through this funding MDF provided 109 x £80 cash grants to 70 people who had received a negative asylum decision and were experiencing destitution. The fund is hosted by Macc and operates through a network of referral partners across Greater Manchester, which are voluntary and community sector organisations working directly with people affected.

Migrant Destitution Fund (external website)