Commonweal to fund five new housing model studies

Commonweal Housing has partnered with five frontline organisations to test new housing and support models, all of which aim to address injustices faced by those in the migration, asylum and trafficking systems.

Through the charity’s Call for New Ideas programme, these organisations have received funding from Commonweal to conduct a feasibility study investigating the viability of their proposed housing initiative.

The Call for New Ideas 2024: Migration, Asylum and Human Trafficking partners are:
• Micro Rainbow: The UK’s leading not-for-profit supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people fleeing persecution.
• Handcrafted Project: A charity that empowers socially excluded individuals to gain skills and find housing.
• Woolwich Service Users Project: Southeast London-based grassroots charity providing practical and emotional support to those seeking help in the community.
• Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support: A grassroots asylum seeker and refugee organisation.
• Accommodation Concern: Northamptonshire-based anti-poverty and homelessness prevention charity.

Micro Rainbow will explore a shared accommodation model for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been denied. This cohort faces homelessness due to their uncertain legal status and is often at risk of immigration detention, which can be unsafe for LGBTQI people. The model aims to provide safe housing and legal support while individuals prepare a revised asylum claim and until they can access statutory asylum support.

The feasibility study also aims to assess the viability of a cross-subsidy approach to subsidise bed spaces for LGBTQI asylum seekers with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) – a condition placed on visas which restricts a person’s ability to access benefits and other types of financial support.

Sebastian Rocca, CEO and Micro Rainbow founder, said: “Micro Rainbow is excited to work with Commonweal to find ways to support some of the most vulnerable people in our community: homeless LGBTQI asylum seekers with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) and who are at high risk of immigration detention. This groundbreaking feasibility study will look at a cross-subsidy approach to overcome their barriers to housing.”

With funding and support from Commonweal, Handcrafted Project will investigate a shared housing model for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASCs) aged 16-17. As part of this initiative, young people would live independently, while support workers would live nearby to be accessible for emergencies and to provide family-style support and practical assistance.

Young people residing in the property would receive housing provision and support beyond their 18th birthday, when needed, to facilitate an empowering and positive transition into adulthood. This continuing support aims to prevent the abrupt end to support they receive from statutory services once they turn 18.

Hetty Mentzel, Business Development Officer at Handcrafted, said: At Handcrafted we’re thrilled to have funding from Commonweal’s Call for New Ideas to launch our study on housing Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASCs). Our aim is for UASCs to transition into adult life feeling fully supported, equipped, and confident of their independent and sustainable capacity to flourish. We hope to prove that a live-nearby model of supported accommodation will best address the specific challenges facing UASCs. It’s been a joy working with Commonweal who have shown careful insight, thoughtful interest, and uplifting encouragement for the idea so far!”

Commonweal also funded Woolwich Service Users Project (WSUP) to evaluate a trauma-informed housing model for unverified survivors of modern slavery, and newly granted refugees at risk of exploitation in Southeast London.

Unverified survivors face significant delays or exclusions in accessing the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – the government framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery. WSUP’s proposed service aims to create a safe space to prevent re-trafficking and reduce the risk of rough sleeping, addressing the lack of accommodation for trafficking survivors pre-NRM.

Darek Karwacki, Chief Executive Officer at Woolwich Service Users Project, said: “This grant is such great news for us and the people we support. With over 600 people coming to our day centre last year, we know how urgent it is to provide immediate safety and practical support for newly granted refugees at risk of exploitation and people who have experienced exploitation but have not yet been formally identified or referred for official support. Thanks to Commonweal’s support, we can explore how a housing model that meets the needs of people who’ve experienced trauma could provide that safety and stop people from being re-trafficked or ending up on the streets.”

Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support charity is set to examine a cross-subsidy shared accommodation model for Appeal Rights Exhausted (ARE) asylum seekers – individuals who have gone through the asylum process, appealed and failed. In this model, bed spaces for ARE asylum seekers and those with NRPF would be subsidised by the housing benefit received by sanctuary seekers and refugees with access to public funds also living in the property.

The proposed project aims to provide ARS asylum seekers with the space and time, alongside legal support, to gather the relevant evidence needed to submit a fresh asylum claim or pursue a new immigration route.

Alex Vessis, CEO of Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support, said: ” We are very excited to be able to work with Commonweal and their partners under the Call for New Ideas! Having the opportunity to support asylum seekers who have become destitute due to asylum system dysfunction is a privilege and we hope that the feasibility study will provide the evidence we need to support this demographic long term.”

Finally, Commonweal will support Northamptonshire-based charity Accommodation Concern to assess shared accommodation with tailored person-centred, trauma-informed support, including language training and job assistance, for recently recognised refugees.

The study aims to examine alternative funding options to ease residents’ transition into employment. This includes preventing the “cliff edge” effect, where individuals lose support when starting work, and exploring funding options to allow smoother transitions into work for those with NRPF who are not entitled to support.

Jo Moore, CEO at Accommodation Concern, said: “Our feasibility study, supported by Commonweal Housing, allows us to explore innovative ways to address the unique challenges faced by recently recognised refugees and those with NRPF. By focusing on tailored, trauma-informed support and sustainable housing models, we aim to help individuals transition smoothly into employment and independence. Working with Commonweal is a fantastic opportunity to develop practical solutions for some of the most pressing issues in refugee resettlement and integration.”

The short-term feasibility studies aim to determine whether the proposed models could operate as practical and impactful property-based pilot projects, with the potential for Commonweal to acquire bespoke properties to test the model over 5-10 years.

Commonweal aims to support partners from the project inception until the end of its life cycle, including working with partners to collect and share learnings to promote best practice across the sector.

Amy Doyle, Deputy Chief Executive at Commonweal Housing, said: “Commonweal has a proven track record of working with partners to enable imaginative housing ideas to turn into property-based housing pilots. We are excited to support our new partners in developing their creative models. We hope they will evolve into projects that provide valuable insights for the sector and beyond, helping to find new ways to tackle injustices faced by those in the migration, asylum, and trafficking systems.”