Now a leading city campaigner is adding his voice to calls for a change in the law to help refugees who have endured "desperate suffering" because they've been refused welfare payments.
Reverend Stephen Taylor believes Section 55 of the National Immigration and Asylum Act denies vital support for those who fail to lodge asylum claims as soon as they arrive in this country.
The Rev Taylor, from Sunderland Refugee and Asylum Seeker Network, said: "This clearly serves no just purpose and we are backing calls to have the legislation removed."
A new survey from a consortium of six leading refugee charities claims six out of 10 asylum seekers have been forced to sleep rough, while 70 per cent did not have regular meals.
The charities claim the report provided fresh evidence of ongoing destitution caused by Section 55.
The Rev Taylor added: "We should not punish individuals who are among the most vulnerable in our society for the sake of a narrow Government policy.
"When people are forced to leave hostile countries like Zimbabwe, where they have learned not to trust the police or officials, the last thing they can be expected to do is report immediately to a British police officer or Government representative.
"Those fleeing persecution should not be treated in a similar manner when they arrive here."
Last year, Sunderland law firm Ben Hoare Bell helped defend a court ruling which challenged the Government's tough asylum policy.
Mr Hoare said: "It has led to a large number of asylum seekers being destitute, as the courts have found. The system needs to be more flexible."
Sandy Buchan, chief executive of Refugee Action, said: "This report shows that Section 55 is still causing desperate suffering.
"This is in spite of recent Government concessions and the efforts of the courts to safeguard asylum seekers' most basic human rights."
The Home Office says it has received no evidence that there has been any significant increase in rough sleeping levels because of Section 55.