A cramped bedroom at the hostel

MORE than 200 asylum seekers will have to plead their case to stay in the borough after a Home Office decision to shut down the hostel where they currently live.

Last week the Tribune reported on the “horrible” conditions inside a hostel used to house asylum seekers while they waited for their claims to be processed.

Some had been there for almost three years, with overcrowded and dirty conditions destroying their mental health.

It is unclear now how and when decisions will be made to move residents to alternative “dispersal accommod­ation” but the Home Office’s policy is that asylum accommodation is offered on a strictly “no choice” basis.

While some asylum seekers are happy to be escaping from the ‘hostel from hell” even if it means moving away from community ties, others are anxious to face further destabilisation.

Robel, who has been waiting for his asylum application to be processed for more than a year, said that the closure was “very good news”.

“I don’t mind being moved anywhere in the UK,” he said. “I just want to share a house, rather than a hotel or hostel. I’ve been diagnosed diabetic and I want to cook for myself. It is very bad conditions at the moment.”

Elizabeth – who did not wish us to use her last name – is a volunteer who works with asylum seekers housed at the hostel. She said: “We’ve previously tried to get people to stay on medical grounds, but they’ve been denied. Even if they are receiving ongoing treatment, they are told there are hospitals in other places. It’s really strict.”

Asylum seekers will not find out where in the UK their new accommodation will be until a few days before they are expected to move.

“They can’t plan ahead because they don’t know where they are going,” said Elizabeth. “People are moved all around the country. I think it will cause issues with housing further down the line because they’ve set up all contacts in London. They want to move back as soon as possible once they get their status, even if it means being homeless.”

The community worker added that the approach by the Home Office was “completely wrong”. “I think they are so strict about the accommodation they provide and not giving them a choice to show control and say we’re being harsh towards them [but] they’ve been uprooted from their home country, they just need that stability.”

An Islington Council spokesperson said: “We are proud to be a Borough of Sanctuary and to welcome refugees into our community and support them as they start to rebuild their lives.

“While we welcome the Home Office decision to close the hostel, we are concerned about the wellbeing of its residents and we strongly advocate that they should remain local to allow us to continue to offer support, advice and assistance.”

The Home Office said it had a policy of not commenting on individual sites.