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NEWS & BLOG
21 May, 2025 - By Leyla Williams
Addressing London’s refugee homelessness crisis
Behind the everyday frontline work at our centre, we’re using the evidence and stories we hear each day and pushing for change in the policies and practices that affect refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant West Londoners.
In a rare jaunt outside of the centre this week, myself, Deputy Director at West London Welcome, with Director Sophie Wickham of our friends at the amazing Action for Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL), and other refugee sector leaders went to the launch of the Mayor of London’s new strategy to end street homelessness by 2030, which we were consulted on.
It means a lot to see refugee and migrant homelessness being taken seriously in our city. The mayor’s new strategy includes specialist services recognising the needs of Londoners facing additional barriers to accessing services due to their uncertain immigration status or, very commonly at our centre, facing homelessness 56 days after receiving refugee status and being evicted from asylum housing.
The voices of grassroots frontline charities like ours were heard in this strategy consultation and we dearly hope to see a focus on housing options for our community members that prevent homelessness from ever happening rather than pick up the pieces.
In the coming months we’ll be increasingly amplifying the voices of our community members in our efforts to call for improved and humane living conditions for those we support.
We owe it to our community to advocate for housing justice and their dignity as they rebuild their lives here in the city.
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Leyla Williams is Deputy Director at West London Welcome.