Asylum seekers living in ‘disgraceful, unsafe’ housing, says report

Source: The Guardian, 10/02/2018

Asylum seekers are being placed in appalling housing conditions where
they are at risk from abuse and violence, according to a survey
published on Sunday documenting the lives of new arrivals.
Interviewees in Home Office accommodation centre say they feel
threatened and suffer unfit, crowded conditions
A year after the home affairs select committee found asylum seekers
were being held in “disgraceful” conditions and called for a major
overhaul of the system, new research suggests the situation remains
poor.
In-depth interviews with 33 individuals inside a north London Home
Office asylum accommodation centre found that 82% had found mice in
their rooms. The survey, by the human rights charity Refugee Rights
Europe, also found that two-thirds of asylum seekers interviewed
felt “unsafe” or “very unsafe”.
Others, some of whom have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress
disorder after fleeing violence and persecution from war zones,
described how non-residents would enter the building and threaten
residents, or simply use the kitchens and hallways to sleep.
Of those interviewed, 30% alleged they had experienced verbal abuse
in the accommodation from fellow residents or from staff, with 21%
claiming they had experienced physical violence.
“A number of respondents were under the impression that the cleaning
staff may hold racist views. Sometimes this was expressed through
abusive or hostile language in English, and, at other times, the
respondents were shouted at in a foreign European language which they
couldn’t understand,” said the study.
Marta Welander, head of Refugee Rights Europe, said: “An entire year
has passed since the home affairs select committee released its
alarming report on asylum accommodation in the UK, yet it seems as
though little to nothing has changed. Our research revealed terrible
hygiene standards and widespread problems with vermin.

UK asylum seekers living in `squalid, unsafe slum conditions`
“Many of the [interviewees] said they felt unsafe in their
accommodation, in particular the younger ones or those diagnosed with
PTSD. Others explained they’re experiencing health problems, which
they attributed to the unsanitary conditions in their bedrooms and
communal areas.”
Other findings implicated the general living conditions with just two
working washing machines available to around 200 residents. Almost
three-quarters of the respondents said their accommodation
was “dirty” or “very dirty” when they moved in. In addition, many
complained of overcrowding, with one teenager describing how he
shared a room measuring approximately eight square metres with two
others, leaving scant space for personal belongings. Just two of
those interviewed said they had a room of their own.
The Home Office contracts to provide housing for dispersed asylum
seekers were awarded in 2012 to three providers: G4S, Serco and
Clearsprings Ready Homes, under the Compass contracts. Following
significant criticism, the companies have told MPs they are housing
more people than the funding allowed for because of growing delays in
Home Office asylum processing and increasing numbers of applications.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “It is the responsibility of our
contractors to provide accommodation that is safe, habitable, fit for
purpose. We urgently investigate any complaint we receive that a
contractor is falling short of these standards.”