I volunteer for a charity that supports refugees and asylum seekers once they arrive in the UK.
You'd be horrified if you saw the state of the housing they are placed in. Honestly, it is horrendous, they are often barely habitable. Remember also that these poor souls arrive with nothing - all their furniture, clothing, kitchen utensils, bedding etc etc are ones that have been donated. The complete lack of provision is shocking.
Many, many asylum seekers/refugees are re-located to the centre of one of our grimmest, poorest and most rundown cities as that is where the housing is cheapest in the country. Families are placed in HMOs, sharing bathroom and kitchen facilities with other families, or in desperately neglected and rundown homes. These places are filthy to begin with and don't improve with overcrowding.
The parent(s) are so often just shells of themselves, having seen such tragedy in their home country. The journey is horrendous and many families are torn apart and broken before even making the trip.
What I can't emphasise enough is that the reality is NOT what the media would lead us to believe. They DO NOT get amazing housing, loads of benefits etc. The 'normal' rules don't apply, they don't jump the queue, they are living below the poverty line and applications for their leave to remain can take YEARS. They rely on food donations, food banks, charities and kind hearted neighbours to just survive. Mental health suffers because they're so isolated (as they're not permitted to find employment until they have leave to remain) and many do voluntary work themselves just to get out the house.
As a nation, we should actually be embarrassed and ashamed at the 'refuge' we provide as it isn't even the bare minimum. No one is anywhere near living the life of Riley. Far, far from it.