SUMMER 2025

Dear Reader

Our Summer 2025 newsletter has the range of articles and news items you expect from Housing Rights but in a fresh new email format which we hope will make for easier access and reading – do let us know if you like the new approach.

The e-newsletter now has six sections – the headline news about government immigration policy, articles on topical issues then four sections of news on refugees, asylum accommodation, eVisas and related matters, and a news round-up. Each section is linked in the email below, simply click the button in each section.

Our thanks to all the contributors to this issue. If anyone is interested in contributing to future issues, please email john.perry@cih.org. And, as ever, a special thanks to our main sponsor, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing.

Please share this edition with anyone you know who works in this area. And if you haven’t already, please click here to subscribe and receive the newsletter direct to your email inbox each quarter.

The Housing Rights team

Are the government’s immigration plans, announced in May, “untethered from reality” (Jonathan Portes, in The Guardian)? Or is it that “Keir Starmer loves a crackdown” (Angus Reilly in UnHerd)?

The prime minister’s speech and a white paper set out the plans. We look at key areas of contention from a housing and integration perspective, with commentary on each.

CIH’s Sam Lister, the main contributor to the Housing Rights website, looks at a recent question on family reunion.

The Boaz Trust's Amy Merone explores how we can work to prevent new refugees from being tipped into homelessness.

Tyanna-May Binns, policy officer of the Roma Support Group, writes about their recently published report.

Mariia Krapivini, a Ukrainian refugee who came over on the Homes for Ukraine scheme three years ago, reflects on her journey of building a life and career here, and what the sector can learn from her experience.

CIH’s long-established housing rights website now has pages giving advice for both migrants and advisers in Northern Ireland and Scotland. They give detailed guidance on migrants’ rights to housing and benefits, and cover issues such as people fleeing domestic abuse, with social care needs or facing destitution. Please use and publicise this new resource, provided with a grant from Innisfree housing association.

Chief executive of Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Grainia Long said: “We are delighted to see the addition of Northern Ireland specific advice and guidance for migrants and refugees on CIH’s Housing Rights website. We believe that this an important new resource to help increase understanding of the housing assistance available here.”

Our thanks to Housing Rights website sponsors Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and Innisfree.

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