In a new report out today, the Refugee Council says newly granted refugees are facing homelessness and destitution due to administrative delays and errors.
You can read the report, 28 Days Later: the experiences of new refugees in the UK, here.
The report examines the transition period between when someone is granted refugee status and when their Asylum Support ends 28 days later.
The Refugee Council says such a rapid change in circumstances presents difficulties for refugees. In particular, refugees face problems trying to prove their identity, residency and eligibility for access to public services.
Refugees must quickly obtain housing and a means to support and feed themselves and their families but face multiples barriers to doing so, with people often waiting for months to be issued the correct documentation to enable them to claim mainstream benefits, find employment and support themselves.
With a lack of savings for private rental and a lack of 'priority need' classification for housing by local authorities, new refugees are particularly at risk of homelessness, warns the Refugee Council.
The Refugee Council calls on the Government to issue refugees with their appropriate documentation without delay and to ensure that refugees are fully supported to access the benefits and services they are entitled to.
Refugee Council Advocacy Manager Dr Lisa Doyle was quoted as saying: "Being finally recognised as a refugee should be a moment to be celebrated. It is unacceptable that the reverse is true and that it is a confusing, chaotic period where people can find themselves on the street, begging for money. It seems perverse that when someone is accepted as in need of protection the state puts them at further risk through bureaucratic failures that can make them homeless and destitute. The Home Office must urgently review the current system to ensure that vulnerable refugees are not left unsupported."