I Lived in a Hotel for Over a Year—Here’s Why No One Else Should Have To

This blog post is written by Ella M, who came across our petition calling for the end of use of hotels as accommodation for asylum seekers. We asked her why she immediately wanted to support the call, here is her response:

During my second year at university in 2017-18, my mum was made redundant. Overnight, we found ourselves homeless, with no choice but to move into hotel accommodation. This experience has stayed with me ever since, and it’s why the petition to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers resonates deeply with me. I know what it’s like to live in such conditions and how deeply it affects you.

We stayed in that hotel for a year and one month. Most of the people there were families like mine, waiting for permanent housing, but a few were asylum seekers. Although our situations were different, we all faced the same struggles. Living in a hotel is no way to raise a family. There was constant disruption from antisocial behaviour by other occupants, and we were often moved around, making it impossible to find stability or to feel safe.

For us, understanding the system gave us a slight advantage—we knew how to push back when things weren’t right. But I think about asylum seekers, people who are new to the country, with no knowledge of how things work and often with no support. They have no choice but to follow what the authorities tell them, with no one to turn to for guidance.

Living in that hotel, my family never had the comfort or peace needed to build a home. My two sisters and I shared a small room, cramped and difficult to live in. The hotel was right next to my sister’s secondary school, but that didn’t make it any easier. We had no control over what we ate—most days, we cooked in a rice cooker, but because facilities were limited, we often relied on free pizza from Domino's, using vouchers to get by.

At the time, my mum’s redundancy had left us with very little income, making everything even harder. There was no freedom and no sense of comfort. And that was just for a little over a year. I can’t imagine what it must be like for asylum seekers, trapped in these hotels for years, with even fewer resources and less support.

No one should have to live like that. This is why I support RAMFEL’s call to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers. Families, children, and individuals need safe, stable homes to rebuild their lives. Everyone deserves that basic right.

Join Manuela and sign our petition to call for the end of hotels! 

Click here to sign