Sadiq Khan has called for an immediate halt to asylum evictions as new stats reveal 846 people in London needing homelessness support after leaving Home Office accommodation in October.
With the drive to clear the legacy backlog pushing thousands into homelessness nationwide, the mayor of London said the current situation could result in a new ‘cardboard city’ homeless encampment in the capital.
Speaking at the launch of a new rough sleeping charter, which aims to be a building block to eliminate street homelessness in the capital, Khan said evictions should be paused for the winter and nobody asked to leave unless they have a place to live.
“My worry is the government is ending the Home Office accommodation during winter. The problem with that is, unless you’ve got accommodation to go to, you’re going to be on the streets,” Khan told The Big Issue.
The government is to pause evictions for three days during extreme cold weather when the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is active, and during the festive period, The Big Issue revealed last week. Sadiq Khan wants it to go further.
“What I’m saying to the government is you’re creating more problems for everyone else, including for yourselves by the way, if you evict people from Home Office accommodation.