The Impact of Hotel Accommodation on the Mental Health of Asylum Seekers in the UK

Abstract

In a global context of war and instability, more asylum seekers are seeking refuge in the UK. Due to backlogs in processing asylum applications, the Home Office is increasingly housing asylum seekers long-term in accommodation that was intended to be short-term, including hotels. A systematic literature review found that asylum seekers are subjected to poor living conditions, which adversely impact their mental health due to a lack of autonomy, feeling unsafe, and lack of support. Building on these findings, this study aimed to understand the impact of a specific type of accommodation, hotels, on asylum seekers’ mental health. The sequential explanatory mixed methods design involved quantitative data drawn from 147 asylum seekers’ mental health screening questionnaires and qualitative data drawn from interviews with 16 asylum-seeking participants who lived in hotels. The study found that hotels negatively impact asylum seekers’ mental health, with asylum seekers living in hotels experiencing higher levels of housing problems, psychological distress, and depression compared to asylum seekers living in alternative housing. Reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts revealed three themes to explain why hotel accommodation negatively impacts asylum seekers’ mental health: lack of safety, lack of autonomy, and social isolation. Participants’ survival strategies and ideas for changing the housing system were also explored. Asylum seekers reported that hotel accommodation both caused and exacerbated mental health difficulties, raising important policy recommendations, including reducing asylum seekers’ time in hotels, increasing flow through the asylum system, and prioritizing vulnerable asylum seekers for community housing. Clinical implications include the importance of assessing the impact of housing on mental health, considering hotel accommodation as a risk factor for self-harm and suicidal ideation, and referring asylum seekers to community groups and religious organisations, as these connections were identified as survival strategies.