Working with the Home Office Homelessness Team – how partnership has improved the response for non-UK nationals experiencing rough sleeping

One of London Councils’ key partners is the Home Office Homelessness Team (HOHT), who work with agencies in London to increase knowledge, improve collaboration and ultimately reduce the numbers of people who sleep rough.

The HOHT was established in January 2020 to support the Home Office’s response to government commitments to end rough sleeping. As the new UK Government homelessness strategy is being developed, the team continues to engage with other government departments, local authorities and the immigration advice and homelessness sector to improve the Home Office’s response to rough sleeping. A package of in-house homelessness training currently being delivered to immigration status decision makers and frontline staff across the Home Office was informed by the partnership work explored in this article. 

Working with the HOHT on escalations of immigration applications for those housed under ‘Everyone In’ during the pandemic built trust with homelessness providers. The team worked hard providing clarity for the sector about the ways in which the Home Office could support improved outcomes for non-UK nationals sleeping rough. Immigration cases brought to the team by the sector for escalation identified gaps in awareness of homelessness amongst Home Office decision makers. The team saw an opportunity to train decision-makers about the impact of homelessness on individuals interacting with the UK Immigration System and reached out to key partners including London Councils, the Greater London Authority, Homeless Link and St Mungo’s to gain feedback and suggestions for relevant content.

The current training session focusses on the vulnerabilities associated with those who are sleeping rough or are experiencing other forms of homelessness, how that affects a person’s ability to engage with the Home Office and how to take these vulnerabilities into account when working with homeless individuals and those supporting them. The training aims to empower decision-makers to consider the face behind the case and encourages attendees to explore this in case studies, each linked to a different vulnerability. Training delivery is focussed on reaching decision makers in Immigration Enforcement and UK Visas & Immigration to ensure there is consistent knowledge across the business, vital to consider as a person moves through the Migration and Borders system.

In its first year the HOHT have delivered training to 4,000 people across immigration decision maker and frontline roles. The team is currently conducting an internal review reflecting on attendee feedback to shape material going forward and an external review with stakeholders in the homelessness sector, including leads from the Mayor’s Homeless Migrants Advisory Panel (HMAP), to ensure key issues encountered by individuals they support are being addressed. The refreshed package will be delivered in the new year.