Some social media users have claimed that the government cares more about asylum seekers than it does our own Irish people who are homeless.
Asylum seekers were discovered to be living in “cramped, overcrowded, undignified and unsafe” housing during inspections of International Protection Accommodation services, reports Breaking News.
During a recent inspection of eight International Protection Centres, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) discovered “varying levels of compliance”.
289 asylum seekers are housed at the Knockalisheen Accommodation Centre, which is situated in a remote part of County Clare, reports Breaking News.
After a prior inspection, Hiqa inspectors discovered that the inhabitants’ experience had “begun to improve.”
“The service provider had not taken sufficient action to create a consistently safe environment for residents or to ensure a zero tolerance approach,” according to the third assessment of the institution, reports Breaking News.
There were “cramped, undignified and unsafe” living conditions for the residents.
“Military style tents on site” are where 90 of the 289 refugees reside, reports Breaking News.
Inspectors discovered mould and algae in a common bathroom’s bathing facilities, as well as wet and mould hazards in a few of the center’s guestrooms.
Although they were given separate sleeping rooms, children and their families were not granted access to a private residence, and some of them lived in small spaces, reports Breaking News.
In order to free up the second bedroom for living space, the inspectors looked at the accommodations given to a family whose parents and two kids decided to share one bedroom.
In a second instance, siblings of opposite genders who were older than ten years had no choice but to share a bedroom since they had no other place to sleep, reports Breaking News.
Living in close quarters made it difficult for families to do everyday activities and for kids to play and grow up in ways that were consistent with typical childhood experiences.
Conflicting opinions
The inspectors received conflicting comments from the residents about their experiences living at the facility. Residents’ opinions of their contacts with staff improved, despite the fact that many of them voiced worries about their safety while residing at the facility, reports Breaking News.
Additionally, there were “risks to the health, safety and welfare of some residents which had not been assessed or acted upon” .
There are ninety-two youngsters at the Athlone facility, reports Breaking News.
Evidence of overcrowding was found, which had a detrimental effect on some individuals by “compromising their dignity and wellbeing”. In certain instances, the inspectors discovered that children and teens shared a bed with a parent or sibling, and in other circumstances, they shared a bedroom with a parent, reports Breaking News.
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