An urgent overhaul of the system of housing asylum seekers is
needed, the Public and Commercial Services union says as MPs
report on harrowing conditions.
The current privatised scheme known as COMPASS is failing asylum
seekers and the communities where they are placed, the union
says.
A report published on Tuesday (31) by the home affairs select
committee catalogues the postcode lottery of support, and the
unsafe and unhealthy conditions many asylum seekers are forced to
live in.
It adds that pressure on the system “will not reduce unless the
government takes action to increase its capacity to process
applications”.
The union says the profit motive and the drive by the government
to cut costs incentivise private providers, including G4S
and Serco, to find the cheapest accommodation.
The report states: “Some of this accommodation is a disgrace and
it is shameful that some very vulnerable people have been placed
in such conditions. Urgent action must be taken by the Home
Office and providers to deal with this.”
The union says the refusal by some local authorities to house
asylum seekers, or provide adequate accommodation, must be seen
in the context of the hatred and suspicion whipped up by sections
of the press and some politicians. The report notes the
government has chosen not to exercise its power to insist local
authorities take asylum seekers.
This political climate is also inseparable from the fact that
public services, such as housing, education and healthcare, are
struggling after six years of spending cuts.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This is a harrowing
account of how catastrophically and shamefully this government is
failing asylum seekers and the communities where they live.
“The Home Office must be given the resources to process claims
efficiently, so people are not left in limbo, and the profit
motive must be removed so central and local government can plan
properly how to provide this vital public service.”
