Policy
Creating a world where LGBTQI people fleeing persecution can live safe and fulfilling lives
safe bed nights provided by Micro Rainbow every year
Micro Rainbow safe houses for LGBTQI asylum seekers across the UK
Countries around the world criminalise homosexuality
Our policy work focuses on advocating for the safety and inclusion of LGBTQI people seeking asylum and refugees.
LGBTQI asylum seekers often arrive in the UK having faced persecution in their countries of origin and can encounter further risks within the mainstream asylum process.
Micro Rainbow’s policy work aims to ensure that individuals are not only protected from harm in safe housing but are actively supported to rebuild their lives with stability and belonging in the UK.
The systemic change we want to see
The systemic change Micro Rainbow seeks is a safer, more efficient, and more community-driven asylum accommodation system for LGBTQI people.
One way of achieving this is for Micro Rainbow to contract directly with the Home Office to provide safe housing for LGBTQI people seeking asylum.
Direct contracting would enable Micro Rainbow to:
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deliver LGBTQI specialist, trauma-informed accommodation from the outset of an asylum claim
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eradicate homelessness of and violence against LGBTQI people fleeing persecution
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build a circular local economy in which public funds remain within the community, strengthening long-term social impact
Currently, there is no mechanism for Micro Rainbow to accommodate individuals placed in initial asylum accommodation; we can only assist once their application for main asylum support is accepted and they are eligible for long-term accommodation.
As a result, LGBTQI people are often exposed to harm, violence, and abuse within mainstream settings before they can access Micro Rainbow’s specialist support. A direct contractual relationship with the Home Office would allow earlier intervention, preventing harm, reducing long-term costs, and ensuring that public resources are used more effectively.
Our top policy priorities
1. Access to safe housing
Micro Rainbow’s main policy priority is for all LGBTQI people to be able to access safe housing. Many LGBTQI people experience harassment or violence in Home Office accommodation. Micro Rainbow will continue to advocate for inclusive safeguarding policies and processes as well as the need for specialist LGBTQI housing to ensure the safety of LGBTQI people in asylum accommodation.
2. Eradicating homelessness
Micro Rainbow will engage with national homelessness policy to ensure the needs of LGBTQI people are considered within the National Plan to End Homelessness. The aim is to secure LGBTQI individuals seeking safety and lacking statutory support with relevant and targeted assistance to help them escape homelessness. Micro Rainbow will continue to provide advocacy to prevent homelessness, including move-on support for newly granted refugees.
3. Safe and legal routes
To advocate for safe and legal routes for LGBTQI refugees to be able to travel directly to the UK. Micro Rainbow will advocate for an established safe route for LGBTQI people through the Government’s Community Sponsorship scheme.
Held Back: The Poverty of LGBTQI Refugees in the UK
On 24 September, at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green, Micro Rainbow celebrated the launch of Held Back: Poverty of LGBTQI Refugees in the UK. This new report is released 10 years after Micro Rainbow’s pioneering 2013 report: Poverty, sexual orientation and refugees in the UK. The 2024 report examines the contemporary situation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex refugees after more than a decade of the hostile environment policy.
Partners’ priority policy goals which Micro Rainbow supports
We support our partners in the following policy campaigns:
End of Detention of LGBTQI people
Micro Rainbow supports Rainbow Migration in its campaigning and advocacy work for an end to LGBTQI+ detention and a 28-day time limit for all immigration detention.
#LiftTheBan: Give people seeking asylum the right to work
Micro Rainbow, alongside 300 other partner organisations, supports lifting the ban on people seeking asylum being able to work.
Ending destitution and homelessness of people with NRPF
Micro Rainbow supports NACCOM’s (The No Accommodation Network) primary policy focus to end destitution and homelessness for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
Together with Refugees
Micro Rainbow is part of the Together with Refugees coalition, bringing together over 600 organisations dedicated to taking action for a fair, compassionate and well-managed plan for refugees and challenging hostile government legislation.
Policy submissions
Submission to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the Safety of LGBTQI People in Asylum Accommodation
This submission to the HASC inquiry outlines how current asylum accommodation models place LGBTQI people at serious risk and sets out our recommendations for creating safer, more appropriate housing.
UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity - Call for Input on Forced Displacement
This submission to the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity details the unique risks LGBTQI people face during forced displacement and in the UK asylum system.