Destitution
The Second Destitution Tally: an indication of the extent and causes of asylum seekers, people at the end of the asylum process and refugees in the UK [Kate Smart, May 2009]
This report reveals the extent and causes of destitution for people seeking asylum and refugees across the UK, and proposes solutions for implementation by policy makers and administrators of the asylum system. It is a repeat of the first Destitution Tally conducted by the Asylum Support Partnership in 2007 and published in January 2008 which demonstrated the extent of destitution among asylum seekers and refugees accessing their One Stop Services across the UK. In October 2008 the Partnership agencies repeated the survey to demonstrate the persistence of destitution as a feature of the lives of asylum seekers and refugees and their independent advice services, and to understand further its extent and causes.Between the 1st and 31st of October 2008, case workers from the 5 refugee agencies which comprise the Partnership completed a short survey for each client contact episode, recording the proportion of the people who were destitute. The survey results were collated and are presented in this report alongside existing research recommendations. It recommends a range of policy and operational solutions to end destitution as a feature of the UK asylum system.
Published May 2009
