Refugees in the UK and the Right to Housing

Seeking sanctuary is a human right, as is the right to adequate housing. This chapter outlines the socio-political context for the housing of refugees in the UK. It draws attention to issues of race and racialization and considers the ways in which housing is a key site of ethnic and racial inequality. We further draw attention to legislation, policy and practice that impacts the lives of refugees. It is also important to recognise the differing routes by which refugees arrive in the UK, for which we provide an overview of both resettlement schemes and the asylum process. Crucially the chapter highlights the ways in which the changing state of housing and system of dispersal shapes the housing pathway of refugees.