A Site of Resistance: An evaluation of the Stop Lock Changes Coalition

From 2012 to 2019, the UK Home Office contracted Serco, a multinational private company, to provide accommodation to people in the asylum system living in Glasgow.

In July 2018, Serco announced a new summary evictions policy, which put more than 300 people at risk of immediate street homelessness. Anticipating a large scale humanitarian crisis, a group of charities, lawyers and campaigners came together to resist and overturn this policy and to support the men and women at risk. This group became the Stop Lock Change Evictions coalition.

Today, the coalition remains resolute that people seeking asylum should never be subject to summary eviction, destitution and street homelessness by lock change. We continue to work with individuals at risk of lock change evictions, to make sure people understand and are able to access their rights. We believe the UK asylum support system needs fundamental reform to uphold people’s rights and to make sure people are treated with fairness and dignity throughout the asylum process.