Praxis campaigners with lived experience of the hostile environment spoke to officials working on the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy.

They shared their experiences of how punitive immigration policies impact them and their families. Policies like No Recourse to Public Funds, a rule that blocks millions of people from accessing a basic safety net, even in times of crisis.

We got the Government to commit to including every child in their upcoming child poverty strategy, including migrant children. In response to a question tabled by MP Uma Kumaran on our behalf, the Department for Education responded:

“In developing a child poverty strategy, the child poverty taskforce is considering all children across the United Kingdom. The taskforce recognises the distinct challenges faced by migrant children.”

We brought together people with lived experience, academics, and other frontline organisations to share their perspectives directly with officials from the Child Poverty Unity in the Cabinet Office.

Last month, we welcomed Minister for Homelessness and Democracy Rushanara Ali to Praxis and discussed the Government’s commitment to cut homelessness. We explained how, for the strategy to be effective, it must recognise the role of the hostile immigration system in pushing people into homelessness.

We provided data and evidence from our advice work to the inter-ministerial taskforce leading the development of a new strategy on ending homelessness.

We’re pushing for the government’s strategy to recognise the role of the hostile immigration system in the staggering levels of homelessness.