Safe Homes, Not Hotels: A Call For Dignity

25 minutes ago4 min read

Asylum seekers and refugees deserve more than just shelter – they deserve safety, dignity, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Ahead of the launch of our exclusive Safe Homes, Not Hotels report into the shocking state of the asylum housing in the UK and the impact of initial accommodation hotels on our community, we outline the context of the campaign.

Safe Homes, Not Hotels is a campaign calling on the UK government to urgently move asylum seekers out of isolated hotels and into secure, supportive communities.

In August 2024, we saw the devastating impact of far-right violence targeting people housed in initial hotels. Asylum seekers, many of whom have already experienced unimaginable trauma in their home countries, were terrorised, re-traumatised, and dehumanised by these attacks.

These events were not isolated, but stemmed from a long history of racism that has enabled this crisis - driven by deliberate political choices. Asylum seekers have long been subjected to dehumanising political and media rhetoric, which distorts public perception and promotes a disconnect from the empathy and understanding they deserve.

This government’s approach to the asylum system reflects a broader pattern of the UK failing to meet its international responsibilities and uphold protections for asylum seekers. As a consequence, we have called on the Home Office to take immediate action to protect individuals housed in initial accommodation and to rethink its failed approach to housing altogether.

The Current Reality:

Unsafe and Isolated Housing

Whilst asylum seekers have been forced into unsafe or isolated housing, private companies like Serco and Clearsprings have profited from their involvement in running asylum housing in terrible conditions.

Serco’s contract to manage asylum housing in the UK, worth £270 million, has been linked to substandard living conditions and a lack of adequate support, leaving many asylum seekers vulnerable and isolated. In addition, Clearsprings made £62.5 million in profit in the year ending January 2023, and the CEO, Graham King, has recently entered the Sunday Times Rich List with an amassed fortune of £750 million.

Profit-driven models are incompatible with the wellbeing of vulnerable individuals and communities. The contrast between the wealth of these companies and the abject poverty of asylum seekers is proof of a system that encourages alienation, and mistreatment of vulnerable people.

The inadequacy of services and the poor treatment of people in the asylum system has led to growing calls from NGOs for local authorities to take over the responsibility of managing sites of initial accommodation.

Meanwhile, people across the UK have shown time and again that they stand for a welcoming environment for refugees and asylum seekers.

MESSAGES OF WELCOME

The Messages of Welcome campaign mobilised thousands across the UK to show their solidarity with newcomers to the UK. In response to rising far-right violence, over 3,000 handwritten messages of support were sent by the public to asylum seekers in initial accommodation hotels across the UK. These messages offered much-needed comfort, letting newcomers know they are valued and welcome in the UK.

The campaign highlighted the power of public support in challenging negative narratives about people seeking asylum. Many people who received the messages shared that they felt less lonely and more hopeful. This simple act of kindness showed the importance of public solidarity, countering the isolation that many people seeking asylum face.

Ultimately, the campaign proved that when we come together to reject hate and extend welcome, it can make a meaningful difference in somebody's life.

A Call for Action:

Safe Housing and Dignity

The only way to protect asylum seekers from exploitative housing is to encourage their inclusion in society. That means creating long-term solutions that allow people to settle in communities where they can work, learn, and rebuild their lives. We are calling for future asylum housing schemes to focus on integration, not isolation.

Encouraging integration strengthens communities and promotes diversity and social cohesion, whilst ensuring asylum seekers are not just recipients of aid, but can actively contribute to their new communities. The ‘Messages of Welcome’ campaign has demonstrated that this country has an appetite for inclusion - we just need to continue this momentum into meaningful action.

Safety isn’t just about physical protection, it’s about creating environments where people can rebuild their lives with hope and opportunity. Dignity means treating all individuals with respect, acknowledging their humanity, and offering them a fair chance to contribute to society. Community is about encouraging people from all backgrounds to live, work, and exist together.

The Messages of Welcome offered more than words. They were a tangible reminder to people seeking asylum that there is a community that stands with them, and an opportunity for the wider public to reach a welcoming arm over the borders that keep asylum seekers segregated from wider society.