A collection of guest stories: Migrant homelessness

*All guest names in this blog have been changed to protect their identities. 

Welcome to our fourth collection of guest stories. Last week was Refugee Week, so we’ll be focusing on migrant guests and spotlighting their experiences. 

In this blog, we’ll spotlight the stories of three guests, Asma, Ravi, and Ikenna, from the perspectives of our Caseworkers who supported them. Their stories show how diverse and complex migrant homelessness is, and how our Caseworkers are dedicated to providing our guests with tailored one-to-one support. 

Alice, our Multiple Disadvantage Caseworker, said the following about refugee homelessness: 

“Of the guests we work with who have arrived in the UK seeking asylum, many have experienced incredibly traumatic experiences of fleeing persecution and war, with many experiencing modern slavery and sexual exploitation.” 

“They are very often evicted from home office accommodation with a very small window in which to find accommodation and work or make benefit claims, which unfortunately very often leads to rough sleeping. It is incredibly important that those who come to the UK fleeing war and persecution are given the right support and care so that they are able to rebuild their lives.” 

Asma’s story 

Asma* is an Eritrean refugee in her 20s who had been evicted from her Home Office accommodation in 2025 and had been sleeping rough in London for five months. 

She was offered a place in our Women’s Winter Night Shelter in early 2026 which helped her to regain some stability in her life with regular meals and a safe place to sleep each night. Soon after, she also started attending our weekly women’s casework drop-in in Fulham on a regular basis. 

Having been let down by other services in the past, she was initially reluctant to engage with our casework service and to accept help, but she met with Caseworker Alice at the drop-in and over time, she began to trust Alice and they developed a good rapport.  

With the help of interpreters, Alice was able to explain the housing options that might be available to Asma. 

Together, they worked on a plan for her to move on from homelessness and to help her make referrals to supported accommodation providers. Meanwhile, the weekly drop-in also provided her with a safe space to relax with other guests, to enjoy refreshments, and to obtain practical items such as toiletries. 

After staying in the night shelter for just over a month, Asma was offered a place to live and she moved in at the end of February 2026. She is very pleased with her accommodation, she is going to college and learning English, and now she is feeling positive about her future. 

Ravi’s story 

Ravi* is a middle-aged man from India who found himself staying in our night shelter after the breakdown of his marriage to a British woman. He had been living in the UK for over 15 years, but this wasn’t yet long enough to qualify for a long residence visa – you need to have lived in the UK for 20 years before becoming eligible.  

Ravi was dealing with a lot of mental health issues along with physical health concerns such as diabetes, impeding his ability to seek support and find housing.  

Despite having these support needs, Ravi was not considered ill enough to qualify for Adult Social care assistance from the Local Authority. 

Instead, Frances, our specialist Migrant Project Caseworker, put in an application for housing with the Home Office on health grounds, and this was eventually successful. It will take much longer for Ravi’s immigration case to be resolved, but he will now remain in Home Office accommodation until there is an outcome. 

Ravi does have a nine-year-old daughter who lives in London, so Frances also worked with him to improve his relationship with her so that he is more likely to be able to stay in the UK on a long-term basis.  

Ikenna’s story 

Ikenna* is originally from Nigeria and came to the UK as a young teenager. He had been living in the UK for nearly 20 years with insecure immigration status. After suffering a relationship breakdown with his wife, Ikenna came to us for support. He initially came to Glass Door in winter 2024 and stayed in our night shelter for the whole five-month season.  

During this time, we offered him immigration advice and started working on a 20-year private life application that he would soon be eligible for. 

 Cases where there are complex immigration matters at play often take much longer to resolve, and so Ikenna came back to our night shelters this past season. After applying for long residence with his Caseworker, he now has a visa that allows him to stay in the UK. However, he has No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), which means he cannot access housing assistance from the local council, social housing, or most welfare benefits. 

Despite the difficulty of being NRPF, Ikenna has the right to rent and right to work. Now, he is employed, and after saving money to pay for private rented accommodation, he has found a room in a shared house. Whilst Ikenna’s story isn’t the most straightforward, it demonstrates the more long-term, slow-paced work that we do with migrants that really makes a difference in their lives. 

These are just a few stories of guests our Caseworkers have supported this past year, but they are not the only ones.  

It's important for us to shine light on the experiences of our migrant guests – behind the numbers, there are hundreds of unique stories to share. Their stories give insight into the stark reality of migrant homelessness in London, and how we can help.