MAPS Service

Our Migrant Accommodation Pathways Support service is open to any professional working with a non-UK national rough sleeping in London or at risk of doing so.

MAPS service

Our Migrant Accommodation Pathways Support service is open to any professional working with a non-UK national rough sleeping in London or at risk of doing so.

Migrant Accommodation Pathways Support service (MAPS) supports any non-UK nationals rough sleeping or at immediate risk of it, across London. We work to identify and clarify our clients’ entitlements, accommodation options, and work with other professionals to help them out of homelessness.

Based on our experience at MAPS, we have created some tools and factsheets for workers supporting non-UK nationals. We update the content available regularly so keep an eye out for new resources as they become available.

Service aims

We work with clients who are migrants to find a route into accommodation that is suitable and sustainable
We supply advice, develop best practice and upskill others professionals to support migrants out of homelessness
We promote system change to create more routes into accommodation for migrants including through partnership work and providing evidence for policy change

Service principles

We take a rights based approach. This means we:

Facilitate access to legal advice and welfare rights advice
Confront barriers to participation
Educate ourselves in culturally competent response
Empower clients to make decisions right for them. (This means being clear about what support we as a homeless service, and their immigration adviser too, is able to offer them)
Use evidence to challenge the policies and practices that block our homelessness work

Ensuring we provide a route out of homelessness that reflects a person’s wishes and needs. Regardless of whether this is in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

What support is offered?

Our service is open to any professional working with a non-UK national rough sleeping in London or at risk of doing so.

From your first contact, we will triage your query and can offer you:

Advice on supporting migrants rough sleeping to find accommodation, through either one off advice or support from one of our Assessment & Reconnection teams
For situations which cannot be resolved through just advice, we can provide specialist casework to resolve a case of homelessness.

We have access to:

10 high support beds
Immigration advice and casework
Specialist migrant welfare rights advice
Mental health assessments via EASL

Resources

Please note that some of these resources make reference to internal St Mungo’s policies and procedures so please feel free to adapt these accordingly in line with your own organisation polices and procedures.

Best Practice Guide
Factsheet for workers on best practice on facilitating international reconnections

Pathways into Accommodation for Non-UK Nationals
Minimum standards for accommodation pathways for non-UK Nationals

Appendix A – Pathways into accommodation outside the UK – Risk assessment form
Risk assessment tool for workers to use when assessing the safety and sustainability of an international reconnection

Exploring all options checklist
A tool for workers to use when supporting individuals with unclear or limited entitlements to help explore routes into accommodation.

Promoting participation checklist
A tool for workers to use when supporting a client to work with their immigration adviser.

Promoting participation plan
A tool for workers to use with clients to help them to work effectively with their immigration adviser and participate in the immigration process. It is designed to help workers, clients and immigration advisers think about some of the challenges that might arise and how you can work together to address these.

Info sheet on the Home Office changes to how clients evidence immigration status
Information on the Home Office plans to phase out the use of physical documents to evidence immigration status and move to an e-visa. Includes information for workers on how they can support clients prepare for these changes to ensure they can continue to access and prove their immigration status.

Care Act Toolkit

A tool for workers to use when supporting clients who have unclear or limited entitlements access support via the Care Act 2014. The toolkit will guide workers through the 5 tests that may be applied to clients before support can be accessed, including case studies.

The toolkit includes templates to request Care Act assessments, a quick guide and a client screening tool.

Modern Day Slavery Checklist
A tool for workers to use with clients who may have experience modern day slavery. Also includes a checklist for services to self-audit their understanding of modern day slavery.

Delivering International Reconnections (MAPS training)

Assessment and addressing support needs in the UK, and Immigration advice

In this e-Learning, you will learn how to plan and deliver a safe and sustainable reconnection which resolves an individual’s homelessness.

Part One includes: Assessment and addressing support needs in the UK, and Immigration advice

LINKS:

Modern Slavery Helpline

The Passage – Modern Slavery Statement

Street Legal – streetlegal@mungos.org

UK government ‘find an immigration adviser’ search function

EU Settlement Scheme

Accommodation options and meeting needs in the country of reconnection

In this e-Learning, you will learn how to plan and deliver a safe and sustainable reconnection which resolves an individual’s homelessness.

Part Two includes: Accommodation options and meeting needs in the country of reconnection

LINKS:

UK Government travel advice

Appendix A – Pathways into accommodation outside the UK

Travel logistics and follow-up

In this e-Learning, you will learn how to plan and deliver a safe and sustainable reconnection which resolves an individual’s homelessness.

Part Three includes: Travel logistics and follow-up

LINKS:

Rome2Rio: https://www.rome2rio.com/

Exploring all options (MAPS training)

Exploring all options

In this e-Learning, you will learn how to support clients with unclear or limited entitlements explore all routes into accommodation.

LINKS:

Modern Day Slavery Checklist

List of First Responders:

National Referral Mechanism

Modern Slavery Helpline

The Passage: Understanding Modern Slavery and Homelessness

Care Act toolkit

Qualifying right to reside

SSWP v AT case

Home Office funded refuge spaces for survivors of domestic abuse

Specialist services:

Homeless England

London Housing Federation: Atlas

More about the service

Service aims
Service principles
What support is offered
MAPS training
Resources
Related content

More info

Get in touch

To access the service for advice or to make a referral, please call the advice line or email us.

The advice line is open Monday to Friday between 9:30am to 5pm.

0203 092 7455

MAPS@mungos.org

We aim to respond to all queries within 24 hours.

Joint working is key to supporting migrants into sustainable accommodation so we ask for ongoing support from the referrer.

Referal form

Download the referral form for MAPS here

What is reconnection?

A reconnection is a piece of work to support an individual to return safely to their home outside the UK. A reconnection should always involve the following elements.

Immigration advice so the individual understands their rights and entitlement and can make an informed decision about if they want to reconnect. This includes understanding the implications of leaving the UK on their current status.
A safe travel plan and sustainable accommodation in the area where they are travelling to so they do not risk returning to rough sleeping.
Support to link in with welfare, health and wellbeing support in their area they are returning so they can continue with their recovery.

What is supported reconnection?

A supported reconnection is where a staff member supports an individuals to return by travelling with them and making sure they are safely linked in on arrival. This is essential for clients who have higher support needs.

Funding

The service is delivered by St Mungo’s and is funded by the Greater London Authority and the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities.

MAPS Service

MAPS service

Service aims

Service principles

What support is offered?

Resources

Delivering International Reconnections (MAPS training)

Exploring all options (MAPS training)

More info

Related content

Migrants

Roma Rough Sleeping Service

Resource Library