Support workers should be appointed to help asylum-seekers overcome isolation and loneliness, the head of a Dublin day centre said.
Father Brian Moore from the Vincentian Refugee Centre in Phibsboro said such workers could help asylum-seekers take part in social, cultural and sporting activities and act as mediators between them and host communities.
"Asylum-seekers are open and ready to interact but there's a need for those go-between people to bring that about," he said.
Father Moore made his comments in advance of yesterday's publication of the third annual report of the centre, which helps asylum-seekers find accommodation. It also provides information, English classes and outreach work.
The centre handled 40,000 queries in the past year, with more than a third of its users seeking help to find accommodation. One in four people visit the centre for social contact, while 13 per cent use it to access education or training, the report shows.
It also highlights the "dreadful loneliness and isolation" of asylum-seekers and the persistent racism they face.
Father Moore said giving all asylum-seekers the right to work and receive education would help their integration. Currently, asylum-seekers are not permitted to work, while their cases for refugee status are being processed. People who are recognised as refugees fleeing persecution have the right to work and live permanently in Ireland.
"I believe that asylum-seekers are also persons with dignity and value. Nobody can live in a vacuum and I don't think it's fair that they are asked to live in a vacuum. Once they come to western society they should have the opportunity to be part of it while they are here," said Father Moore.
The centre resettled 370 asylum-seeker and refugee families from emergency accommodation last year. It gathers information on a pool of accommodation through regular contact with landlords and local communities. It also runs a women's group, services for children of asylum-seekers who are separated from their families, and a schools awareness programme.
"We provide a vital emergency service which reaches well into the heart of the local multiracial cultural community," said Father Moore.
"This essential link between refugees, asylum-seekers and the wider community must now grow. The challenge going forward is to help people integrate into Irish society. The people who use our services do not want to be a burden on the State. They want to work, pursue their education and family life and contribute to Irish society."