{"id":20512,"date":"2024-06-09T19:55:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-09T18:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/blog-story\/strongertogether-housing-experiences-of-people-seeking-sanctuary-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-06-09T19:55:19","modified_gmt":"2024-06-09T18:55:19","slug":"strongertogether-housing-difficulties-with-asylum-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/news\/2024\/strongertogether-housing-difficulties-with-asylum-status\/","title":{"rendered":"#StrongerTogether: Week 3 &#8211; Housing Difficulties Of Those With Asylum Status"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the final week of the campaign. Over three weeks, we&#8217;ve been raising awareness of housing difficulties for those seeking sanctuary. This week, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oasiscardiff.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oasis Refugee Centre<\/a><\/span> and Tai Pawb are sharing the stories of those who have received status, but then have to leave their properties or go into shared accommodation.<\/p>\n<p>This week on the Tai Pawb, we share the housing experiences of people seeking sanctuary, and what they would change. We will also look at resources and organisations that offer support.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Week 3: Housing Experiences of People With Asylum Status<\/h3>\n<h4><b>Ana<\/b><\/h4>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt alignnone wp-image-20514\" src=\"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Ana-outlined-400x600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"306\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Ana was granted refugee status. However, she found herself homeless and unable to secure accommodation without a guarantor. <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">She shares her story.<\/p>\n<p>Audio in Ana&#8217;s own words below:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Ana found herself homeless after refugee status and was unable to secure accommodation\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z9KH6bWw2o8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>&#8220;<span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">When I was granted refugee status, I was given 10 days to leave my home office accommodation. I had to find somewhere to live on social media, with the \u00a3350 I had saved from my financial limitations as an asylum seeker. However, that place wasn\u2019t safe and I felt uncomfortable with the person I was sharing with. The second place I found was no better. It was just about affordable at \u00a3100 per week, but there was no hot water, no heating, and the toilet was a long way. It was a huge, abandoned place and it was just me living there. But I was desperate and had nowhere else to go.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>I got a job as a supply teacher. But because it\u2019s not a guaranteed income it made it hard to find a place to live, and I had no guarantors or references I could fall back on. I felt I was in a privileged position with a job, but I could still not get a house without a guarantor. The council did eventually help me to find a home that didn\u2019t require a guarantor, but the rent is high and I am paying for all of the bills and expenses myself as I live alone. And my job is supply, so I don\u2019t have a guarantee of how much I will earn each week. Life doesn\u2019t feel affordable.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>I was essentially homeless, which I find difficult to say. I couldnt meet the requirements to find secure housing. I did not want to file for homelessness, I just kept moving. Landlords are reluctant to rent to those on benefits, and even when we\u2019re not on benefits they want people who can pay an up-front deposit. I\u00a0would ask the Welsh Government to change the practice of needing a guarantor or an up-front deposit. As asylum seekers, we don\u2019t know people here, and the allowance we get does not enable us to save for a deposit. Most of us are also still trying to find jobs once we have status, and it takes time to get payslips and proof of income. If we had a few months to find accommodation, instead of 28 days, we could save money, get a job. We start from scratch after getting refugee status. And I am in a luckier place than others I know.&#8221;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Claire<\/b><\/h4>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt alignnone wp-image-20516\" src=\"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Pastel-Neutral-Minimalistic-Vintage-Portrait-Photo-Frame-Quote-Pinterest-Pin-2-400x600.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"306\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Claire is a pregnant mother of two, and she tells her story of being accommodated in a hotel with her family of four (and one more on the way!). She tells her story<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Claire and her family were granted asylum after a two year wait, but upon this news they were given 7 days notice to leave their Home Office accommodation. They had no jobs and no savings and were facing homelessness. Emergency accommodation was provided in a hotel. But this posed a problem for Claire\u2019s children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">\u201cMy 7 year old son, Michael, has allergies and the carpet in the hotel room <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">was exacerbating them so much that he was struggling to breathe. It was a scary time. The food provided at the hotel was also not suitable for us, but we still had to pay \u00a3357.20 a month out of our allowance for it. It was not an optional charge, even though we could not eat there. <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">We could not cook our own food as we had no facilities. W<\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">e had to rely on getting meals at Oasis, as we had no budget left to get food elsewhere. There was a waiting list for housing and many other families waiting, and we were really worried about how long we would be there. The flat we eventually moved into also has a carpet that my son is allergic to. We have no idea when we will be able to move to a suitable home. It is really worrying watching your child suffer and being unable to do anything to help. <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Despite putting in a complaint about the current accommodation, nothing <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">has changed.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Claire\u2019s situation highlights that:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Refugees are not being provided suitable housing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Even a family with young children are housed in one-room facilities with <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">food they cannot eat and their children\u2019s health issues are not taken into account.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Being housed in a hotel as part of emergency accommodation<\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-underline\"> is not a holiday<\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-underline\">.<\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-strikethrough-none text-decoration-none\"> It leads to overcrowding in one-room accommodation, with no cooking facilities, no choice of food, and no adjustments for individual or cultural needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body\"><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">With regards to accommodation, the WHQS standards now include the requirement for \u2018suitable\u2019 flooring to be provided in all homes upon moving in. <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">This was a campaign that Tai Pawb ran with TPAS Cymru and has just come into law. <\/span><span class=\"OYPEnA text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">You can find out about our FLOORED report, and the new WHQS standards here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Resources and support:<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Read Tai Pawb&#8217;s Good Practice Briefing on Refugee and Asylum Support and Housing here: <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Refugee-Accommodation-Good-Practice-Briefing-.pdf\">Good Practice Briefing no; 70\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Tai Pawb&#8217;s Refugee Housing and Support Feasibility Study available here: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/FINAL-Tai-Pawb-Refugee-Housing-Feasibility.pdf\">Refugee Housing Feasibility Study<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li>Welsh Refugee Council information and resources: <a href=\"https:\/\/wrc.wales\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/leaflet-cardiff.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>General Support for Renters ;<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/taipawbcardiff.sharepoint.com\/:f:\/s\/Work\/EpiNqKOCrv9DofbwnhRup3QB_PX2dUojEo9erdCYE-3svA?e=juel7J\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Refugee Housing Resources<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li>And of course, our partners in this campaign, Oasis and their incredible work in Cardiff. Oasis helps people seeking sanctuary gain access to essential support to thrive in our communities. From a daily lunch and casework support, to arts activities and excursions around Wales, they aim to provide holistic support. Thrive at Home is a housing support project aimed at assisting refugees in settling into their new homes and seamlessly integrating into their communities. Our initiatives focus on providing essential tenancy support, ensuring refugees have access to crucial services, and fostering a sense of belonging. By facilitating access to various housing resources and support services, Thrive at Home empowers refugees to build stable, fulfilling lives in their new environments. Read about their 2023 Impact here: <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oasiscardiff.org\/impact-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.oasiscardiff.org\/impact-report<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for joining us for this campaign. A huge thank you to Deena and Zoe at Oasis, and Rob and Jennie at Tai Pawb. And more importantly, we are really thankful to those who shared their housing stories for this campaign. Behind the words are real people who have experienced genuine hardships and traumas.<\/p>\n<p>We hope this campaign has opened people&#8217;s eyes to the situation that people seeking sanctuary are faving with regards to housing, some of the changes we hope will come into place, and has encouraged those who can (social housing providers, private landlords and councils) to do what they can to improve housing accessibility and conditions to prevent these stories from being repeated.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is the final week of the campaign. Over three weeks, we&#8217;ve been raising awareness of housing difficulties for those seeking sanctuary. This week, Oasis Refugee Centre and Tai Pawb are sharing the stories of those who have received status, but then have to leave their properties or go into shared accommodation. This week on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20521,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,122,131,132,133],"tags":[],"temporary-categorisation-from-im":[115],"class_list":["post-20512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accessible-housing","category-housing","category-race","category-socio-economic-disadvantage","category-socio-economic-inequality","temporary-categorisation-from-im-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20512"},{"taxonomy":"temporary-categorisation-from-im","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/temporary-categorisation-from-im?post=20512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}