HOUSING NEEDS

The Social housing response to meeting the needs of refugee and asylum seekers

The Social housing response to meeting the needs of refugee and asylum seekers

Introduction

With the increasing in Britain's population, there is also an increase in the number of people coming in from abroad. These people want a safe and secure place to live in which is why they choose UK. Indian and Pakistani communities have been formed in the UK, as there is a migration history of these communities. People from these two countries settle in UK for a better lifestyle and future. Now the trend of migration from countries like Zimbabwe, Iraq etc is increasing mainly due to the war going on in their countries (Joint Committee on Human Rights, 2007, p.12). They do not feel safe in their own countries, which is why they migrate to different countries, especially UK.

Migrants seek asylum in the UK, and when their application is accepted, they are known as refugees. People, who migrate for good from their homeland, seek asylum in Britain i.e. they apply for protection under the United Nations convention, and when their application is accepted they are granted permission to stay, work have many other rights just as the UK citizens. When their application is accepted they are known as refugees. National Asylum Support Service (NASS) looks after the asylum seekers in the UK (Loescher, 1992, p.27).

Needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Refugees and asylum seekers are very different from the locals of Britain. The needs vary from one individual to another. One of the most important needs of such people is housing, which is becoming a crucial issue for the government of United Kingdom. The housing will depend on the status of their application. There are different housing plans for different stages of the application (National Audit Office, 2009, p.37).

With each passing year, the number of asylum seekers is increasing. Asylum seekers are mostly males and having a family is quite unlikely for such individuals. They settle down first and then call their families or dependants.

Accommodation is the basic need of an asylum seeker. When his application is accepted, steps for providing them with accommodation are taken. When people seek asylum they do not disclose their family member and number of dependants which creates a problem after their family arrives. Accommodation is provided to them on the basis of the information provided to them, which usually is according to one person, and when their family arrives, that accommodation is obviously not enough for the whole family.

Asylum seekers and refugees are not at all familiar with the trends and do not have knowledge about anything in the country. It is the responsibility of the authorities to help the asylum seekers and refugees and make them familiar with everything. Even small things such as the bus system in their area or the location of grocery stores mean a lot to them (Clarke, Et.al, 2006, p.28). Authorities should not assume that they know everything; they should guide these people in every ...