The perils of unsafe housing

[Re: Politicians don’t understand housing and asylum seekers will pay the price, May 31]

Elena Siniscalco’s article about scrapping HMO licensing is spot on.

By removing this safeguard – even temporarily – the government will put vulnerable people at further risk of harm and destitution. The existing checks on housing aren’t working and many people we support are housed in unsuitable accommodation. At Renaisi, we provide employment support and advice to refugees, asylum seekers and those who have been marginalised by society. We support an asylum-seeking mother of two, who was placed in such a small flat she had to make a bed in a store cupboard for her eldest son; and an elderly refugee who was placed in shared accommodation, which caught fire because of faulty wiring. He had to jump out of the window to escape. He was then placed in 4th floor shared accommodation, without a lift, despite suffering a bad leg injury. When individuals are poorly housed not only do their education and employment prospects suffer, but they can also experience serious physical and mental health issues. Effectively legalising unsafe housing will be catastrophic for the mental and physical health of people we work alongside, many of whom have already experienced serious trauma. Rather than solving the root cause of this issue by creating safe and legal routes for people seeking asylum and tackling the backlog of asylum claims, scrapping HMO will create more housing, health and other systemic issues impacting people’s lives. A safe home is the bedrock on which good health and wellbeing rely, without which getting into work or training cannot be realised. Asylum seekers will be unable to rebuild their lives after escaping conflict or persecution. What does that say about us as a society?

Natsayi Sithole Deputy CEO, Renaisi