Over the weekend, some of the Foundation team, accompanied by a couple of beloved volunteers, travelled down to Portland, Dorset, to meet with three former guests of the asylum hotel we were supporting in North Devon. They were recently relocated to the Bibby Stockholm barge and have been adjusting to their new situation over the past few weeks.
Our Dispersal Lead Steph Molligoda shared “It felt important to do this at this point while things are still new and they are settling in, to show them that as they move on from place to place, connections aren’t severed, and relationships still matter.”
Although the trip was full of joy reconnecting and sharing stories, what we learnt that afternoon painted an oppressive picture. Essentially it is a floating prison with an occasional bus service. We were all desperately hoping that we’d be surprised to hear of a more comfortable welcome. Hearing about their fears of the barge undocking and sailing to an unknown location whilst they slept, was deeply distressing. It is the biggest reason for the refusals to board and it results in people losing any rights to any accommodation as a result.