Strategic Alliance on Migrant Destitution

The primary focus of the Strategic Alliance was to look at organisations that work with non-EU destitute migrants.

People who become homeless after arriving in England might find support from a wide range of services, including homelessness, faith and community-based services, health, humanitarian aid and legal advice. Research shows that cross-sector working with destitute migrants can provide very beneficial outcomes, however, there needs to be much more partnership between these different sectors.

By working together, SAMD aimed to increase the number of bed spaces available to people with no recourse to public funds, as well as develop routes out of destitution, including access to immigration advice and legal representation.

Hosted by Homeless Link, the Alliance was made up of national bodies including the British Red Cross, Housing Justice, Migrant Rights Network, NACCOM, Refugee Action, Praxis Community Projects, Innisfree Housing Association and Refugee Council.

The key aims of the project were to:

• Increase the supply of accommodation for people with no recourse to public funds.
• Support front-line agencies and local partnerships.
• Develop integrated pathways out of destitution.
• Gather, share and use evidence of what worked to inform service providers, funders, commissioners and policymakers.

This project was delivered by our Innovation and Good Practice Project Manager Patrick Duce. It is no longer a live project, however, during the project we published a range of documents, briefings, toolkits and collated resources from SAMD members. To view this content, please visit the resources section below.