The British Red Cross’s Refugee Support Team in Bristol is raising money for smartphones for asylum seekers who are destitute or placed in hotels across the city. It is working in partnership with Bristol Defend Asylum Seekers Campaign.
It comes as new figures obtained by the Refugee Council show the asylum backlog has increased fourfold in the past five years, with over 40,000 people waiting a year or more for their asylum claim to be processed by the Home Office. Serious concerns have been raised over the safeguarding of children, who in the worst cases are stuck in hotel rooms or overcrowded accommodation for up to five years.
Those in hotel rooms have a weekly allowance of £8.25 and do not legally have the right to work. In Bristol the British Red Cross currently supports 200 asylum seekers and most of them do not have mobile phones.
