The chairman of a West Croydon refugee day centre claims the new laws governing support for asylum seekers is: "creating a new form of homeless people."

The Refugee Day Centre at the West Croydon Baptist Church, Whitehorse Road, is run by the Refugee Council and Migrant Helpline with Red Cross volunteers, providing an open house for refugees and asylum seekers, where they can get food, clothing, help with English and access to basic household facilities.

Until changes in the NIA law at the beginning of the year, the day centre opened just twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, offering more in-depth services like English classes, but the number of people now being denied state support means they have had to change their schedules to cope. Chairman of the board of trustees at the Refugee Day Centre, Mr Terry Drummond said: "We haven't yet seen the demand for over-night accommodation increase yet, but we are expecting it to over the next few weeks. We are going to try and ensure that we prioritise for the people who are not receiving benefits."

"I am aware that asylum seekers are sleeping rough around the borough. But where are they going to go if they are not getting any help?

"We have created a new breed of homeless people, who face all kinds of barriers. They have no accommodation, no money, no access to money and many of them cannot even speak the language, so they need help."

"I think we should return to the system we had. The government is saying they will turn them away, but there are too many people being made homeless, and we need to give them basic support at the very least."

The centre now opens five days a week, offering hundreds of asylum seekers food, advice on where to go and sleeping bags.

Mr Drummond added: "We can only open between 12 and 3pm five days a week, to tell them where to get help, we can't supply over-night accommodation."

Migrant Helpline and the Refugee Council provided £35,000 worth of funding, which Mr Drummond estimates will last until April, but they need help with funds and voluntary helpers. If you think you can help please call the Refugee Day Centre on 020 8665 0696.

January 31, 2003 10:00