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Hostel for asylum seekers closed down

Tuesday, 02 March 2010

A PROCESSING centre for asylum seekers on the Southside that had been described as “unfit for human habitation” by one of its residents has been closed down by immigration officials. The Irish Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) - which is part of the Department of Justice - has confirmed to Southside People that the hostel located in Kilmacud House, Upper Kilmacud Road, Stillorgan, has shut its doors. The hostel had been the subject of numerous complaints by one US citizen who had been staying there until recently. Patrick Downey, who is currently seeking political asylum in Ireland, said that poor basic sanitation at the hostel, including a lack of running water and unsatisfactory toilet facilities during the recent cold spell, rendered it degrading for those who were staying there. “We had been using buckets to bathe ourselves for approximately two months, apparently due to the current water shortage,” he said. “The showers in the men's wing of our hostel were in a deplorable state of disrepair since well before Christmas when repairs which were being carried out suddenly and mysteriously came to an abrupt end. “At any rate, the men were forced to use two of the four showers in the family area on the second floor. We drew water from the basement and carried it upstairs in large plastic buckets.” He added: “Due to the water situation, toilets were often unflushed, although buckets were provided. One could use them to fill the tanks using hot water taken from the shower, which I imagine more than a few people could have scalded themselves with.” Mr Downey said the conditions and lack of facilities at the centre were detrimental to the wellbeing of children who were residing there. “A skip, overflowing with debris including jagged pieces of metal and broken skirting with exposed nails, sat directly outside the building, within 30 yards of the children's swing set, for as many as six weeks before it was finally removed,” he claimed. “There were no crèche facilities for young children, who spent a majority of their time surrounded by adults who are about as a mixed-bunch as you can imagine, and all under a significant amount of stress.” Mr Downey also complained about the quality of the food served at the centre. He said some residents decided to buy their own food because of its poor quality, imposing a financial burden on them as asylum seekers are only given a meagre e19.50 each week by the State and are not allowed to work. According to the RIA, the Kilmacud centre was only used for short-term stays of a few weeks where asylum seekers underwent initial processing before being sent to other more permanent asylum centres throughout the country. However, this was disputed by Mr Downing who claimed that until recently he had been residing at the centre for four and a half months. A spokesman for RIA said that due to a decline in numbers all new applicants would be catered for at another reception centre located near Dublin Airport. The spokesman said RIA could not comment on individual cases because of a legal prohibition, under section 19 of the Refugee Act, 1996, on revealing the identity of asylum applicants. However, he explained that immediately upon entering one of RIA's accommodation centres, each resident was provided with a guide to their house rules and procedures, which set out general obligations for both management and staff. He said this provided for a complaints procedure to be used by both management and residents where it was believed that a breach of these obligations had occurred. “RIA treats all complaints, whether from management, residents or third parties, equally,” he said. He added that the RIA treated the issue of child protection at all its centres “very seriously”. “RIA's Child Protection Policy was launched in December, 2005,” he said. “The policy includes protocols for addressing child welfare concerns appropriately and effectively. All centres, including Kilmacud, which accommodate children, have at least one Designated Liaison Person on child protection issues.” Regarding the specific claims about the lack of running water and poor sanitary conditions, he said: “During the recent water shortages in Dublin, some restrictions had to be made in relation to showers. “It would be entirely unfair to draw general conclusions from the temporary circumstances then which were no different to those which applied to every other private dwelling or accommodation facility in the area while the shortage lasted.” Only recently the legal rights group Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) criticised the direct provision of accommodation for asylum seekers in Ireland and called for full-scale reform of the system. Statistics provided by FLAC showed that delays in the system have left some people living in direct provision for years, with a third of those in this system last October having been there for more than three years. Only 25 per cent were there for less than a year, and of those only 12 per cent for less than six months. Director general of FLAC Noeline Blackwell said: “We are putting forward recommendations for reform so that any person awaiting a decision on immigration status can be allowed to live with basic dignity and respect and not experience further degradation of his or her human rights. “FLAC believes that people who have to wait on decisions should be treated fairly and should be able to enjoy the basic rights we are all entitled to.”