Our city’s asylum seekers are supported by local charity ASSIST Sheffield. However, their services have been massively reduced due to Covid-19 and all ASSIST accommodation is now at maximum capacity. The Home Office resumed evictions on the 15th September and destitute asylum seekers will be forced to sleep on the streets. This is unacceptable. The evictions are a devastating blow to some of the most vulnerable members of our community, including a number of BAME individuals who are already suffering after being disproportionately affected by the pandemic. As the weather gets colder and cases continue to rise, people's lives are at risk. But there is still hope.

With the decline in student numbers this year, the university has plenty of rooms that aren’t being used. In October, ASSIST contacted Vice-Chancellor Koen Lamberts for help accommodating 15 asylum seekers but the university refused their request. Sheffield STAR refuses to accept this decision. The university has the power and opportunity to make a real difference, and to protect the lives of those who have already suffered the unimaginable. We demand that Sheffield acts now to help keep our city's asylum seekers safe and off the streets. Together, we can offer our solidarity and support.