North Coast hotel presently housing 32 asylum seekers

UP to 45 asylum seekers could be temporarily housed in a North Coast hotel, the council has revealed.
The figure is contained in a report due to be delivered to members of the Leisure and Development Committee tonight (Tuesday, December 20).
The paper aims to update councillors on rising numbers of refugee arrivals in Northern Ireland, including Causeway Coast and Glens.
It also outlines the role councils have been asked to play in assisting and integrating them into local communities.
Councillors will be told the Home Office’s difficulties housing refugees date back to the Covid pandemic resulting in the need for hotel rooms “as a short-term emergency solution.”
The report states: “The Home Office have recently stood up a hotel in the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area that has been procured as an additional emergency accommodation solution.
“This is the first asylum contingency hotel to be brought into the Causeway Coast and Glens council area and, at the time of writing this report, the 32 people are temporarily housed there.”
The report continues: “The number of available places in the hotel is 45.”
Currently housed in the hotel are people from Iran, Palestine, Guinea, Eritrea, Syria, Sudan, Kuwait, Yemen and Somalia.
To be recognised as a refugee, they must have left their country and be unable to return because they have “a well-founded fear of persecution.”
Their safety concerns can be based on one race, religion, nationality, political opinion or anything else that puts them at risk because of the social, cultural, religious or political situation in their country for example gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.
According to the council, the Home Office is drawing up an “exit strategy” to ensure they do not stay in hotels any longer than is absolutely necessary.
In the meantime, officers from districts were accommodation is being provided have been asked to participate in NI's Council Engagement Group.
Home Office funding may allow them to establish or build “networks and infrastructure” for integrating asylum seekers following full dispersal.
The problem is, information on existing networks and resources plus an assessment of the asylum seekers’ needs is not yet available.
And while the data is collected the council must engage with refugees, help them integrate and build connections with existing community support groups.
Among the measures planned early next year are language classes and encouragement for church and volunteers groups to step up.
Awareness of health, education and welfare services will be provided to asylum seekers.
BME groups will be enlisted to provide cultural awareness workshops while further sessions will be delivered though Council services to help address isolation, mental and physical well-being.
The report states: “As Causeway Coast and Glens have recently welcomed a number of asylum seekers, Council has recognised that there is a need to build a shared understanding of needs, existing resources and gaps and as a result, build collaborative action between key stakeholders/service providers to meet these needs effectively.”