Abstract
This chapter incorporates dispersed residents’ accounts of their experiences within COMPASS accommodation. It begins with an examination of the physical deterioration of dispersal properties and asylum seekers’ stories of the physical and mental impacts of living in unhealthy environments. Residents’ previous exposure to trauma illustrates that the poor conditions of dispersed housing and contractors’ lack of attention to the needs of vulnerable residents fuel the re-victimisation of asylum seekers already enduring the relived experiences of past suffering. This chapter acknowledges the practical effects of being moved to the periphery of dispersal areas with little access to necessary resources including culturally specific markets and essential social and support networks. This chapter ends with a brief examination of residents’ coping strategies and expressions of agency and resistance within adverse environments.
They just take us and dump us wherever they feel like. It’s like we died, but they didn’t bury us yet
—Eloise, interview, 06 September 2013
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Agamben, G. (1998). Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life (H.-R. Daniel, Trans.). Stanford University Press.
Alicia. (2013, July 19). Interview with Steven Hirschler. Scotland.
Asif. (2013, March 03). Interview with Steven Hirschler. North East, England.
BBC News. (2017, April 1). Teenage Asylum Seeker Brutally Attacked in Croydon. Retrieved March 6, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-39466502
Bloch, A. (2014). Living in Fear: Rejected Asylum Seekers Living as Irregular Migrants in England. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 40(10), 1507–1525.
Bögner, D., Brewin, C., & Herlihy, J. (2010). Refugees’ Experiences of Home Office Interviews: A Qualitative Study on the Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(3), 519–535.
Bögner, D., Herlihy, J., & Brewin, C. R. (2007). Impact of Sexual Violence on Disclosure during Home Office Interviews. British Journal of Psychiatry, 191(1), 75–81.
Boomsma, C., Pahl, S., Jones, R. V., & Fuertes, A. (2017). “Damp in bathroom. Damp in back room. It’s very depressing!” Exploring the Relationship between Perceived Housing Problems, Energy Affordability Concerns, and Health and Well-being in UK Social Housing. Energy Policy, 106, 382–393.
Brewer, K. (2020, February 26). How Do I Convince the Home Office I’m a Lesbian? BBC News. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-51636642
Campbell, D. (2018, November 28). Asylum Seekers ‘too afraid’ to Seek NHS Care, Report Says. The Guardian. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/28/asylum-seekers-too-afraid-to-seek-nhs-care-report-says
Chakraborti, N., & Garland, J. (2012). Reconceptualizing Hate Crime Victimization through the Lens of Vulnerability and ‘Difference’. Theoretical Criminology, 16(4), 499–514.
Condry, R. (2010). Secondary Victims and Secondary Victimization. In S. Shoham, P. Knepper, & M. Kett (Eds.), International Handbook of Victimology. CRC Press.
Darling, J. (2009). Becoming Bare Life: Asylum, Hospitality, and the Politics of Encampment. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 27(4), 649–665.
Darling, J. (2016). Asylum in Austere Times: Instability, Privatization and Experimentation within the UK Asylum Dispersal System. Journal of Refugee Studies, 29(4), 483–505.
Dwyer, P., & Brown, D. (2005). Meeting Basic Needs? Forced Migrants and Welfare. Social Policy and Society, 4(4), 369–380.
Edward. (2013, August 22). Interview with Steven Hirschler. West Yorkshire, England.
Eloise. (2013, September 06). Interview with Steven Hirschler. West Yorkshire, England
Evans, G. W., Wells, N. M., Chan, H.-Y. E., & Saltzman, H. (2000). Housing Quality and Mental Health. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(3), 526–530.
Eveline. (2013, June 13). Interview with Steven Hirschler. Scotland.
Fazel, M., Wheeler, J., & Danesh, J. (2005). Prevalence of Serious Mental Disorder in 7000 Refugees Resettled in Western Countries: A Systematic Review. The Lancet, 365(9467), 1309–1314.
Foucault, M. (2004). Society Must be Defended (D. Macey, Trans.). Penguin.
Fullilove, M. T. (2010). Housing Is Health Care. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 39(6), 607–608.
Galtung, J. (1969). Violence, Peace, and Peace Research. Journal of Peace Research, 6(3), 167–191.
Garvie, D. (2001). Far From Home—The Housing of Asylum Seekers in Private Rented Accommodation. Shelter. Retrieved September 19, 2019, from https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/policy_and_research/policy_library/policy_library_folder/far_from_home
Gibson, M., Petticrew, M., Bambra, C., Sowden, A. J., Wright, K. E., & Whitehead, M. (2011). Housing and Health Inequalities: A Synthesis of Systematic Reviews of Interventions Aimed at Different Pathways Linking Housing and Health. Health & Place, 17(1), 175–184.
Gilbert, A., & Koser, K. (2006). Coming to the UK: What do Asylum-Seekers Know About the UK before Arrival? Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 32(7), 1209–1225.
Grayson, J. (2012). A Cockroach in the Baby’s Bottle: Asylum-Seeker Housing by Security Giant G4S. OpenDemocracy. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/cockroach-in-baby-s-bottle-asylum-seeker-housing-by-security-giant-g4s/
Grayson, J. (2018) Rodents, bedbugs, Mould: UK Asylum Housing Still a Hostile Environment. OpenDemocracy. Retrieved October 8, 2019, from https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/shine-a-light/rodents-bedbugs-mould-uk-asylum-housing-hostile-environment/
Griffiths, M. B. E. (2014). Out of Time: The Temporal Uncertainties of Refused Asylum Seekers and Immigration Detainees. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 40(12), 1991–2009.
Hazim. (2013, June 06). Interview with Steven Hirschler. North East, England.
Healey, R. L. (2006). Asylum-seekers and Refugees: A Structuration Theory Analysis of Their Experiences in the UK. Population, Space and Place, 12(4), 257–271.
Home Office. (2012). COMPASS Project: Accommodation & Transport—Statement of Requirements. Schedule 2. Retrieved October 25, 2019, from https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/download/503103/ce88be88-62c0-4491-b903-5c6b02cc368c
House of Commons. (2012). Olympics Security, Written Evidence Submitted by John Grayson [OS 08]. 25 September 2012, HC 531-III, 2012–13. Retrieved October 08, 2019, from https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmhaff/531/531vw04.htm
House of Commons. (2017). Asylum accommodation. 31 January 2017, HC 637, 2016–17. Retrieved October 08, 2019, from https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhaff/637/637.pdf
Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. c. 33. Retrieved June 18, 2019, from https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/contents
Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, & Bolt, D. (2018). An Inspection of the Home Office’s Management of Asylum Accommodation Provision: February—June 2018. Retrieved April 07, 2021, from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/757285/ICIBI_An_inspection_of_the_HO_management_of_asylum_accommodation.pdf
James. (2013, January 30). Interview with Steven Hirschler. North East, England
Jeffrey. (2013, August 21). Interview with Steven Hirschler. North East, England.
Joint Committee on Human Rights. (2007). The Treatment of Asylum Seekers: Tenth Report of Session 2006–07. (HL 81-I; HC 60-I, 2006–07). Stationery Office: London. Retrieved September 24, 2019, from https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200607/jtselect/jtrights/81/81i.pdf
Kadin. (2013, June 26). Interview with Steven Hirschler. North East, England.
Katherine. (2013, June 10). Interview with Steven Hirschler. Scotland
Kissoon, P. (2010). From Persecution to Destitution: A Snapshot of Asylum Seekers’ Housing and Settlement Experiences in Canada and the United Kingdom. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 8(1), 4–31.
Leonie. (2013, August 22). Interview with Steven Hirschler. West Yorkshire, England
Lewis, R. A. (2014). “Gay? Prove it”: The Politics of Queer Anti-deportation Activism. Sexualities, 17(8), 958–975.
Liddell, C., & Guiney, C. (2015). Living in a Cold and Damp Home: Frameworks for Understanding Impacts on Mental Well-being. Public Health, 129(3), 191–199.
Marion. (2013, June 09). Interview with Steven Hirschler. West Yorkshire, England.
Masoud. (2013, February 06). Interview with Steven Hirschler. North East, England.
Mehran. (2013, July 29). Interview with Steven Hirschler. West Yorkshire, England.
Nathan. (2013, August 21). Interview with Steven Hirschler. North East, England.
National Audit Office. (2014). COMPASS Contracts for the Provision of Accommodation for Asylum Seekers. Stationery Office: London. Retrieved September 01, 2020, from https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10287-001-accommodation-for-asylum-seekers-Book.pdf
National Audit Office. (2020). Asylum Accommodation and Support (HC 375; pp. 1–54). National Audit Office. Retrieved April 10, 2021, from https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Asylum-accommodation-and-support.pdf
Nyarai. (2013, May 28). Interview with Steven Hirschler. Scotland
O’Nions, H. (2010). What Lies Beneath: Exploring Links Between Asylum Policy and Hate Crime in the UK. Liverpool Law Review, 31(3), 233–257.
Pallister, D., & Bowcott, O. (2005, August 3). Inquiry into Firm’s Asylum Contracts. The Guardian. Retrieved September 19, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/aug/03/immigration.immigrationandpublicservices2
Pevalin, D. J., Reeves, A., Baker, E., & Bentley, R. (2017). The Impact of Persistent Poor Housing Conditions on Mental Health: A Longitudinal Population-based Study. Preventive Medicine, 105, 304–310.
Pevalin, D. J., Taylor, M. P., & Todd, J. (2008). The Dynamics of Unhealthy Housing in the UK: A Panel Data Analysis. Housing Studies, 23(5), 679–695.
Pidd, H. (2018, December 16). Attack on Refugee Family Highlights Rising Hate Crime in Bolton. The Guardian. Retrieved March 06, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/16/attack-on-refugee-mother-in-bolton-stokes-local-tension
Qasim. (2013, June 26). Interview with Steven Hirschler. North East, England.
Robinson, V., & Segrott, J. (2002). Understanding the Decision-making of Asylum Seekers. Home Office. Retrieved April 05, 2021, from http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110218135832/http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hors243.pdf
Rowena. (2013, May 28). Interview with Steven Hirschler. Scotland.
Sabeen. (2013, May 29). Interview with Steven Hirschler. Scotland.
Sadie. (2013, June 12). Interview with Steven Hirschler. Scotland
Schock, K., Rosner, R., & Knaevelsrud, C. (2015). Impact of Asylum Interviews on the Mental Health of Traumatized Asylum Seekers. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 6(1), 26286.
Shahid. (2013, September 07). Interview with Steven Hirschler. West Yorkshire, England.
Sharpe, R. A., Bearman, N., Thornton, C. R., Husk, K., & Osborne, N. J. (2015). Indoor Fungal Diversity and Asthma: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review of Risk Factors. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 135(1), 110–122.
Shaw, M. (2004). Housing and Public Health. Annual Review of Public Health, 25(1), 397–418.
Silove, D., Sinnerbrink, I., Field, A., Manicavasagar, V., & Steel, Z. (1997). Anxiety, Depression and PTSD in Asylum-seekers: Associations with Pre-migration Trauma and Post-migration Stressors. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 170(4), 351–357.
Spicer, N. (2008). Places of Exclusion and Inclusion: Asylum-Seeker and Refugee Experiences of Neighbourhoods in the UK. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 34(3), 491–510.
Stewart, E. (2005). Exploring the Vulnerability of Asylum Seekers in the UK. Population, Space and Place, 11(6), 499–512.
Stewart, E. (2011). UK Dispersal Policy and Onward Migration: Mapping the Current State of Knowledge. Journal of Refugee Studies, 25(1), 25–49.
Symonds, M. (2010). The “Second Injury” to Victims of Violent Acts. The American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 70(1), 34–41.
Taylor, D., & Townsend, M. (2014, February 8). Gay Asylum Seekers Face ‘humiliation’. The Guardian. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/08/gay-asylum-seekers-humiliation-home-office
Tyler, I. (2006). ‘Welcome to Britain’: The Cultural Politics of Asylum. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(2), 185–202.
UK Government. (2006). Housing Health and Safety Rating System, Operating Guidance: Housing Act 2004 Guidance About Inspections and Assessment of Hazards Given Under Section 9. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Retrieved January 03, 2021, from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/15810/142631.pdf
Webber, F. (2010, September 18). Asylum-seeking Families in Glasgow Face Imminent Move. Institute of Race Relations. Retrieved September 19, 2019, from http://www.irr.org.uk/news/asylum-seeking-families-in-glasgow-face-imminent-move/
Wemmers, J.-A. (2013). Victims’ Experiences in the Criminal Justice System and Their Recovery from Crime. International Review of Victimology, 19(3), 221–233.
Wren, K. (2007). Supporting Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Glasgow: The Role of Multi-agency Networks. Journal of Refugee Studies, 20(3), 391–413.
Zetter, R., & Pearl, M. (2000). The Minority Within the Minority: Refugee Community-based Organisations in the UK and the Impact of Restrictionism on Asylum-seekers. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 26(4), 675–697.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hirschler, S.A. (2021). Hostile Environments: Life Within Privatised Dispersed Housing. In: Hostile Homes. Critical Criminological Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79213-8_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79213-8_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-79212-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-79213-8
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)