October 2023

We, the undersigned, call on Clearsprings Ready Homes to urgently provide decent conditions for disabled people seeking asylum, whom they are paid to house in Tendring, Essex.[1]

Over fifty people are currently being housed at this site in cramped, unsafe conditions, without adequate food or care. Some people have been here for nearly a year. The lack of decent conditions is resulting in horrific and unnecessary suffering. People housed here include 6 who are paraplegic, 13 people with prosthetic limbs, many people experiencing significant mental distress and other impairments caused or made worse by the living conditions. People are pleading with the Home Office to intervene to provide decent conditions, including nutritious food for everyone at the home. One resident, Basam Huzyene, recently went on hunger strike for four weeks to highlight the dire conditions in the centre.

In June, Behnam Murufi, an Iranian living at the site, passed away. He had struggled at the site without mobility aids or personal care. We are not satisfied that adequate changes have been made since then to avoid further harm and potential deaths. Lack of trained staff or hoists meant that a disabled woman was left on the floor for 14 hours after a fall.

These are just the latest of many complaints made against Clearsprings Ready Homes[2]. The company manages this site as part of their Home Office contracts to provide accommodation for people seeking asylum. Last year, the company made £28 million profit, most of which was paid in dividends to their directors.

According to the Home Office, ‘Asylum accommodation providers are contractually obliged to ensure accommodation is accessible for disabled people and where concerns are raised, we work with providers to ensure they are addressed’. Yet, even the basic standards outlined in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Schedule Statement of Requirements[3] are not being met. Reports of inedible food, lack of privacy, and nowhere for people to prepare their own food are common. This does not allow people to live in dignity. 

We demand that Clearsprings Readyhomes are held to account for the lives of people housed in this accommodation. In solidarity with Clearsprings residents and friends we demand immediate action to improve facilities, provide suitable equipment, nutritious and varied food, and employ qualified health and care staff. The well-being and dignity of all those that Clearsprings are paid to accommodate must be prioritised.