I don’t suppose you realised that Monday was the start of Refugee Week - me neither. However, by late morning Refugee Week was something I will never forget.
This year’s theme is “Our Home” and as I’ve been doing up my home, it got me thinking. If you’ve got somewhere to call ‘home’ it might get you thinking too. Standing before me was someone fighting for the right to be declared human and perhaps the most fundamental right of a human being is simply to have somewhere to call home.
As a psychotherapist exploring the complexities of human suffering, my work includes bearing witness to the painful narratives of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing war-torn lands; countries governed by oppressive regimes wielding fear and peril against those who dare to challenge authority. The harrowing journey towards a finding a new home of safety in the UK and beyond is fraught with further anguish – where brutal violence, harrowing tales of rape, and exploitative ordeals at the hands of ruthless traffickers. Amidst this horror, the theme of "Our Home" during Refugee Week resonates deeply, emphasising the universal yearning for a place of safety, belonging, and solace for those who have been displaced and marginalised.
The timing of this blog is prompted by an encounter that I‘ve just had that left me profoundly distressed. During a meeting with a member of the housing department and a client, a stark reality emerged. In Gloucester, several hotels serve as temporary shelters for asylum seekers and refugees. However, as some of these facilities face closure, residents are uprooted and relocated to different areas. Even when granted refugee status and a feeling of more security could arise, the reality is, that like so many others in the UK, there is now the next obstacle of finding accommodation when there just isn't enough and it is hard to get started on finding somewhere to live.
Those granted refugee status are accommodated elsewhere, albeit for a mere three months. Within this brief window, they are tasked with finding a permanent residence, and amidst this uncertainty sign posted to English classes and employment opportunities with some assistance. Failure to find a home within the 3 months time period results in a distressing mandate to vacate the premises, leaving them with no choice but to fend for themselves on the streets. There are refugees who are living on the streets and sleeping in the park because they have not found a home during the 3 months.
According to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, if the fundamental requirements such as physiological needs, safety, belongingness, and love are not fulfilled, it becomes immensely challenging to progress towards higher-level needs. What transpired yesterday, is a local authority, acting on governmental directives, explicitly declaring their inability to provide the most fundamental needs for a human being - A home.
I bore witness to a human being, already burdened by trauma and the instinctual response of fight or flight, is re-traumatised and succumbs to the freeze response before me. In that moment of frozen stillness, a door is closed in the mind, blocking out any incoming information and it was left to me to hold onto it for him. This depiction paints a poignant picture of emotional shutdown and the profound impact of unmet needs on an individual's ability to cope.
I’ve held onto it throughout the night and this morning I’m letting it go. By putting it out there, to you, the sea of readers. I’m hoping that it will have a ripple affect that will spread so wide, a change will take place and refugees will get to stay in their temporary home until a permanent home has been found. A place to call home or no home? We’ve seen it done for the Ukrainian refugees so why not for the others?
