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Housing Justice helps Greater London Authority to create video for newly granted refugees

December 8, 2025

The moment someone is told they have refugee status and can live, work and study in the UK should be one of celebration. However, for many this is not the case. Newly granted refugees are often given very limited periods of time to move on from their asylum accommodation upon receiving status. The 28-day period, which was rolled back from 56 days, is often not long enough to find housing, employment, set up a bank account and Universal Credit.

The task of finding housing can be overwhelming and confusing. After speaking with the GLA, we agreed an informative video would help to shed light on the housing landscape and the potential options available to newly granted refugees. We felt that the stories of people with direct experience of this move on process would resonate with new refugees, creating an accessible and engaging approach to sharing information. Weyne, Akram and Ibrahim all kindly agreed to share their experiences, with the aim of helping others who are in the position they were once in. They have all been part of our Refugee Lodgings Project, before moving on to their own long term, stable accommodation.

The making of the video was a process of co-production from start to finish. This began with a collaborative workshop. Council partners, HJ and the GLA met with Weyne, Akram and Ibrahim to discuss the challenges facing newly granted refugees. This was an incredibly insightful discussion, where all parties learnt from each other’s perspectives. For Diletta Mastria, Senior Project and Policy Officer (Rough Sleeping) at the GLA, the workshop was a dedicated process that “brought together local authority representatives and people with lived experience featured in the films. This approach ensured that the stories, tone, and guidance reflect the realities of the move-on journey. Produced in Amharic and Arabic, the videos highlight the experiences of participants from Housing Justice’s Refugee Lodgings project as they navigate the transition from asylum accommodation”.

The workshop helped to shape the content, format and tone of the video. When it came to filming, we were led by the expertise of Charlie Bird from Wretched Production. Charlie cultivated a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere whilst filming, helping those being filmed to feel comfortable throughout the process. For Charlie, the creative experience was special: “working with Housing Justice on these films has been a wonderful experience, it has been a true collaboration from the beginning, and I believe we have married our skills and expertise perfectly for the benefit of the project. Weyne, Ibrahim and Abram brought an easiness to the whole process that I believe comes through in how natural they are on camera. Their honest and insightful answers will not only give those watching real life experiences to draw from, but also something comforting to hold to as they start their own journey here in England.

I think I speak for everyone involved when I say that I am really proud with how the final films turned out, and I hope that they can have a real impact”.

Reflecting on how it went, Akram said: “I had an enjoyable time working with the team and speaking of the experience I have had. It made me proud of what I have done and I hope this will help other people, I hope it will make things easier for others. I feel happy about this”. It was the first time in front of a camera for Akram, but this did not faze him: “for me it was the best challenge ever, it was like let’s do this now”. Similarly, it was Weyne and Ibrahim’s first time being filmed, but both had a fulfilling experience. “It made me very happy” said Weyne, “it was good to talk with people about my experience, about the challenges”. For Ibrahim, the idea that the video will help others was key: “I know it will help people. This is important because if I [when I first received status] saw someone like me, it would give me hope”.

Centring the voices of those with lived experience was a crucial aspect of these videos. They are a powerful example of what we can achieve when we listen to the voices of those who have experienced the problems we seek the solutions to. By working together, we have created a resource that will be shared widely amongst communities of newly granted refugees, and will hopefully have a positive, lasting impact for those beginning their lives in the UK.