Support service hostel forced to turn asylum seekers away

An Auckland-based charity that cares for asylum seekers says it is turning people away from its hostel unit at least once a month, Stuff reveals, as it battles high demand for its services while running low on funds. Immigration New Zealand recently asked Asylum Seekers Support Trust (a non-profit organisation) to indefinitely house two asylum seekers. “We weren’t given any funding by INZ to care for them,” says client services manager Freyja Stocker. “Our hostel, which can only house 16 people, was at full capacity when they called.”