Asylum seekers and homelessness in Scotland: FOI release
- Published
- 17 January 2025
- Directorate
- Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights Directorate
- Topic
- Equality and rights, Public sector
- FOI reference
- FOI/202400440282
- Date received
- 11 November 2024
- Date responded
- 9 December 2024
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
1. The number of asylum seekers in Scotland who have been recorded as becoming homeless within the past five years, broken down by year, if available.
2. Details on any support programs or policies in place to prevent homelessness among asylum seekers or to provide accommodation once homelessness occurs.
Response
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
This is because asylum is reserved to the UK Parliament and the Scottish Government does not have access to the UK Government systems where this data may be held. People seeking asylum who would otherwise be destitute while awaiting a decision on their asylum application from the Home Office are accommodated across the UK under Home Office contracts. People seeking asylum who do not require support from the Home Office, because they have access to accommodation or means to acquire it, may live anywhere across the UK while awaiting a decision on their application.
The Scottish Government provides annual funding to Homeless Network Scotland to facilitate Fair Way Scotland. Fair Way Scotland is a consortium of third sector organisations that works to ensure people with no recourse to public funds have access to support. The Scottish Government supports Fair Way Scotland as far as is possible within devolved competence.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have information you have requested. However, as asylum and immigration are reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office, you may wish to contact the Home Office at foirequests@homeoffice.gov.uk to find out whether there is further information which they would be able to provide in relation to your request.
You may also find information which has already been published under previous information requests, as part of statistical releases, or otherwise made available on the UK Government website: Home Office - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)’
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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