Investigating the use of temporary accommodation to house asylum seekers and refugees during the Covid-19 outbreak

This project will explore the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on asylum seekers and refugees living in the UK. As reported by the Home Affairs Select Committee, asylum seekers are at 'heightened risk' in the context of Covid-19. The project will focus on those individuals placed in temporary accommodations such as hostels and hotels, using Glasgow as a base for the project as the local authority with the most dispersed asylum seekers in the UK. Recent moves by private sector firms to relocate asylum seekers into 'safe environments' have been widely criticised, particularly for the difficulties in maintaining physical distancing in new crowded, shared spaces thus increasing the risks of exposure to Covid-19. Organisations and stakeholders representing asylum seekers have reported the fear and distress that this move has caused for asylum seekers. In addition, this re-housing has also made it difficult for charities to provide support to affected individuals, who are moved often at short notice. The project will examine what the situation is currently on the ground, how the crisis has accentuated the risk for those seeking asylum and develop responses with migrant communities to create a genuinely 'safer environment' for asylum seekers. Adopting digital ethnographic methods co-designed and co-produced with grassroots migrant organisations, the project will deliver longer term impact through the development of co-produced creative outputs including a documentary and work with outreach groups to influence UK Government policies and public debate on asylum.