Council says the housing crisis is “clearly not sustainable”
For a long time, Glasgow has prided itself as a welcoming city for refugees and asylum seekers alike. Until 2022, it was the only registered dispersal area in all of Scotland, and still remains a popular destination due to the attraction of established communities providing valuable support networks.
A recent Home Affairs Committee report revealed that Glasgow is housing four times more asylum seekers than planned by the UK Government. The report states that the contracted Mears Group, which manages asylum accommodation, is currently “using 4,103 bed spaces from a capacity of 6,735 available bed spaces in Glasgow” whereas the Home Office’s goal for the city is just 993 bedspaces used.
While there are plans to expand dispersal operations in Scotland, 92% of all asylum seekers are still located here in Glasgow. Only 19 of the 32 local Scottish authorities actually have dispersal accommodation, with most managing just small numbers of residents.
Many of those who are dispersed elsewhere in the country still come back to Glasgow given the greater work opportunities and community support. However, this is affecting Glasgow as the City’s Convener for Housing and Development, Councillor Ruairi Kelly, told The Glasgow Guardian, “if you present as homeless in Glasgow, Glasgow is responsible to house you within their boundary.”
This all comes during a time of a city-wide housing emergency, entering its third year since declaration in November 2023. There are more than 6000 cases of homelessness registered by the City Council, with the Home Affairs Committee report stating that “41% of Glasgow’s live homelessness caseload are households who have been granted leave to remain”.
Cllr Kelly tells us that current UK asylum policy provides approved asylum seekers just 28 days to find new accommodation, but prevents them from working during this period or during the application waiting period. This means they are unable to save up any money, or acquire a job, which could otherwise assist with securing a place to live, ultimately leaving many to present as homeless to the City Council.
However, the recent UK government announcement that the asylum process will be overhauled may change this, as asylum seekers will be deported if their home country is deemed safe.
Cllr Kelly, in a comment to The Glasgow Guardian, was scathing in his response to the new plans saying “None of this will address short or medium term housing issues and no amount of needless cruelty will appease those pulling them to the right.”
While Cllr Kelly acknowledged the new government’s attempt to speed up the process and reduce the backlog of asylum cases, “it has just massively increased the number of people that exit the system and enter our homelessness services straight away.” He states that the Council’s statutory obligations have resulted in significant council overspending on homelessness and temporary accommodation this year.
As Glasgow is home to the largest population of asylum seekers across the entirety of the UK, a large number of housing properties is required across the city. The Home Affairs Committee report states that the Mears Group leases over 1,500 properties in the Private Rented Sector, while also stating that the city of Glasgow is currently accommodating over 1,500 homeless households in bed and breakfast/hotel accommodation, which is defined as ‘unsuitable accommodation’ under legislation.
The housing demands on the council, and the need to put some people into B&Bs and hotels, means the system is “definitely not working at the minute,” Cllr Kelly says, and is “quite clearly not sustainable”. Cllr Kelly admits that while the obvious solution is building more housing, there just isn’t enough to go around at the moment, while the cost of building and the time it takes to do so are severely hindering the process. As a result, the Government’s under-investment in the housing market impacts the current ability to supply homes, and the ability of the city to meet the needs of its evolving inhabitants. However, while Glasgow continues to feel the pressure of large numbers of asylum and homeless cases, the friendliest city in the UK is perhaps the best place for them to be.
Image credit: Jason Briscoe
