Some asylum-seekers in Co Donegal have been subjected to curfews at their accommodation centres and many others have complained of becoming bored and depressed. These were among the issues raised this week at the first meeting of the Donegal County Strategy Group on refugees and asylum-seekers.
The group was formed because of "complete confusion on the ground" and "a glaring lack of co-ordination", according to Ms Ann Marie Crosse, a community worker with Donegal local development company.
"People were ringing me up asking about transport and other things that weren't within our remit. There was also confusion among the various agencies," she said. The strategy group grew out of a workshop held recently in Letterkenny which Ms Crosse said highlighted the need for a partnership approach between service providers, non-government groups and asylum-seekers.
There are now about 100 asylum-seekers of 13 nationalities in four towns in Co Donegal and numbers are expected to increase. Ms Crosse hopes the strategy group, only the second of its kind in the State, will help improve their lives.
It includes representatives from State bodies, including the North Western Health Board, the VEC, and FAS, community organisations and the asylum-seekers. Members of the Donegal Travellers Project are also involved, and Ms Crosse said they intended to use the experience of Travellers to help asylum-seekers.
"Three areas were prioritised - accommodation and living conditions, information provision and "something to do", education, training and recreation", Ms Crosse said.
One of the first tasks they have set themselves is a skills and needs audit among the asylum-seekers. They will try to match these needs with training available from State agencies.
They will also have a lobbying role and have raised problems with the Department of Justice and applied for funding. Ms Crosse said they hoped a regional co-ordinator for the north-west would be appointed and links formed with Sligo and Leitrim.
She felt the biggest problem was that asylum-seekers were becoming institutionalised. They had little control over their lives and could not even choose the food they ate.
"People are getting down. They are just bored and feel very institutionalised. One woman said to me she has put on a lot of weight because she would normally be very active. She has joined a computer class, but she would love something to do."