Resource

When a person fleeing conflict, oppression, human rights abuses, and exploitation seeks protection in another country around the world, they typically live in temporary accommodation provided by their host country, while they wait for their asylum claim to be processed.

In the UK, people seeking asylum are forbidden from working or accessing mainstream benefits and so are entirely reliant on the Home Office to provide them with housing and financial support during this period. Over the last few years, we have seen increasing numbers of asylum-seekers housed in ‘contingency accommodation’ including hotels and ex-military barracks.

Read more about the first-hand experiences of being housed in various types of asylum accommodation in the UK here.

Adequate housing is recognised as a human right and is fundamental to psychological and physical well-being and health.  

There is an urgent need for a better understanding of the impact of housing on asylum seekers' health. This systematic literature review aimed to identify and evaluate all the existing global research on the relationship between housing and asylum seekers’ mental health.

The review included 21 studies conducted across a range of countries; Australia, the USA, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Greece, Norway, Mexico, and Ireland. The studies included different types of housing, such as collective/shared housing, community housing, private housing, refugee camps, detention centres (on-shore), detention centres (off-shore) and hotels. 

What do the studies show?

• Across the studies, poor living conditions (e.g. damp and cold, lack of sufficient space or good hygiene standards) were a major source of stress for asylum seekers.
• Most of the 21 studies found that unsuitable housing impacts asylum seekers’ mental health, causing new mental health difficulties and exacerbating pre-existing mental health difficulties. The most common mental health difficulties across studies included anxiety, depression, PTSD, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and sleep difficulties.
• Some types of housing were demonstrated to be more detrimental than others – including collective / shared housing (accommodation that is shared by multiple occupants from different families) and detention.
• Detention was highlighted as the worst type of housing, associated with the highest levels of self-harm.
• Private housing and community housing were viewed as better alternatives, and relocating to more suitable housing significantly improved mental health, providing relief from symptoms of depression.
• Across the studies, three themes were identified to explain the impact that housing can have on people seeking asylums’ mental health:

1.  Lack of autonomy: Asylum seekers expressed frustration about being subject to strict regulations, a sense of dependence, lack of privacy, and lack of resources. This is particularly challenging for vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children, and families. 
2. Feeling unsafe: Violence was reported across the spectrum of types of housing included in this review. Sharing housing with strangers exacerbated feeling unsafe and being in a state of constant vigilance.
3. Lack of support:  from peers, the local community, and professionals (health care service and legal support). Many asylum seekers reported feeling socially isolated, with their housing situation preventing them from being able to make and maintain social connections.

• Throughout the studies, asylum seekers had different ways to cope with their housing situation. Coping strategies included finding solace in faith, holding onto hope, and finding comforting in support from family, friends and people and services in their community.

This collection of global research provides further evidence to the Helen Bamber Foundation’s recommendations that people seeking asylum in the UK should have access to quality, suitable housing in communities (not camps or hotels), and the use of immigration detention should be significantly reduced.

People seeking asylum are an inherently vulnerable population because of their experiences of war, conflict, torture, human trafficking and abuse. They face significant healthcare challenges and have a high prevalence of trauma symptoms. Those who are housed by the Home Office need appropriate access to food, privacy, safety, to be based within communities rather than in isolated rural areas, and accommodation which is suitable for their particular needs.  

Read more about our accommodation policy recommendations here.

Read the full review here.