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Asylum seekers face hunger and homelessness

The security forces came for Abdel at night. He was taken to a secret detention centre in Khartoum. He says the worst part of his ordeal was being made to feel like an animal. Released a few weeks later without charge, Abdel had to have his left leg amputated as a result of injuries inflicted during torture.

He received support in coming to terms with his experiences through the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. Other torture survivors coming to the UK may not be as ‘lucky’.

Since 5 February, asylum seekers who do not claim asylum on port of entry (the majority) or those appealing against a rejection of their asylum application no longer qualify for any benefit. Some will qualify for housing under the Mental Health Act or the Children Act, but most will be thrown onto the streets.

Refugee groups say the impact will be gradually felt as the numbers of those affected slowly starts to rise. The most urgent priority is housing and food.

Lower down on the list of priorities are the possible health implications of the changes. Like other homeless people, those affected are likely to be reliant on hospital emergency services rather than GPs for primary care.

It will be difficult for the Medical Foundation to maintain contact with homeless clients and referrals from lawyers will become more problematic for those without a fixed address.

‘Our clients are already having to cope with a lot: they may have been in prison, suffered terrible repression, they are in a strange country where people speak a strange language and now the cuts,’ said a spokeswoman for the foundation.

‘The mental health consequences are bound to be great with so many different strains. But while the mental health aspects are important, the most urgent issue is keeping body and soul together.’

Refugee groups say shelters for the homeless are often full and have to turn people away. They will not be able to take any extra burden. The Refugee Council is trying to raise money for shelters and soup kitchens for homeless asylum-seekers, but it fears that whatever it does will be a drop in the ocean.

No-one knows how many people will be affected. ‘It could result in complete chaos,’ said a refugee worker. ‘This is a particularly vulnerable group and their care is being left to charities who are already stretched. We can cope with an emergency, but not on a long-term basis.’

Helen Bamber, director of the Medical Foundation, told healthmatters: ‘It is the cruellest form of hypocrisy to offer sanctuary with one hand, while taking away the means to survive with the other.

‘Survivors of torture need a stable, safe environment in which to heal and rebuild their lives. This is just one more form of persecution.’