Housing insecurity

Over half of the women Hibiscus supported in the community in the last year reported housing insecurity, with those affected nearly twice as likely to suffer from mental health problems. Many migrant women in contact with the criminal justice system and/or immigration system have multiple, complex needs as a result of past trauma including human trafficking, domestic servitude, domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and exploitation.  These women’s recovery is hindered, and they may be re-traumatised, by contact with the immigration and criminal justice systems and associated problems including homelessness, poverty and debt; further exposure to VAWG and exploitation; institutional barriers, including failure to accommodate communication and cultural differences; stigmatisation and discriminatory treatment.

As ‘Mona’ (not her real name) told us:

“Not having somewhere safe [to live] is slowing my recovery – if you’re constantly experiencing new trauma how can you deal with it as new ones keep coming up?”

Female offender strategy

Improving resettlement and housing post-release from prison are specific aims of the Ministry of Justice’s Female Offender Strategy and subsequent Delivery Plan, and may be expected to be a continued area of focus for the new government. However, migrant women in contact with the criminal justice system are effectively excluded from many of the measures currently in place.

Women who are accused of offending and who do not have British citizenship are likely to be considered ‘liable for deportation’.  As such, they are more likely to be remanded in custody (rather than given bail in the community), and may be subject to stigma, racism and discriminatory treatment in court proceedings, particularly as they are more likely than other women to be Black or minoritised, and to require an interpreter.  They are largely excluded from resettlement initiatives due to the usually mistaken assumption that they will not be remaining in the UK longer-term, and because they are judged more likely to fail risk assessments allowing for day release from prison. 

Some women are still held in prison after the end of their sentence while they await a decision on immigration bail. This may be partly due to a lack of suitable accommodation in the community. Women with No Recourse to Public Funds are specifically excluded from schemes designed to reduce homelessness for people leaving prison, such as the recently introduced HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 (CAS3) which provides 12 weeks’ accommodation post-release from prison. 

Excluding migrant women from these opportunities for diversion, rehabilitation and resettlement puts them at greater risk of destitution, deterioration in mental and physical health, exposure to VAWG and exploitation, and reoffending.

Recommendations

Amongst other recommendations, Hibiscus are calling for strategic action to address the links between imprisonment or immigration detention and housing problems for migrant women and their children. This includes calls for:

• Central government to implement a cross-departmental approach – including the Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – to ensure that lack of safe and suitable accommodation is never a reason for Black and minoritised migrant women being remanded in custody, being held in prison beyond sentence, or being held in immigration detention, and that no migrant woman leaves prison or immigration detention to homelessness.
• Local government to take a proactive approach to applications for housing and homelessness help from Black and minoritised migrant women in prison or immigration detention, including conducting pre-release assessments as a matter of routine.

To find out more, contact Hibiscus at: info@hibiscus.org.uk