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Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

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Campaigners gather in Glasgow this morning to support destitute refugees

This news post is about 7 years old
 

Supporters launch campaign

Campaigners will gather this morning in Glasgow to support hundreds of destitute refugee and asylum seeker families as winter sets in.

More than 120 voluntary organisations, supporters and service users will gather in Glasgow City Chambers to launch Positive Action in Housing’s (PAiH) Winter Crisis Appeal.

The campaigners say the harsh effects of the UK asylum process and the lengthy administrative delays in deciding a case combine to create conditions where many hundreds of refugee and asylum seekers are all affected by hunger and destitution.

Last year PAiH distributed £42,440 in crisis payments to 496 families and individuals in need of humanitarian assistance to prevent hunger and destitution and provided 21,957 nights of free

Robina Qureshi, chief executive of Positive Action in Housing said: “We are seeing children going to school too hungry to learn.

“We’re seeing new mothers, older people with dementia and no clue about their asylum case, young men with severe mental health problems, all spending years in destitution and in desperate need of a safe, warm place to recuperate and to resume their fight to stay in Scotland.

“We urgently need more funds and volunteers to address the emergency that people find themselves in and to enable them to stay and fight for their human rights to stay and rebuild their lives”.

 

Comments

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Angus McKay
about 7 years ago
"Campaigners will gather this morning in Glasgow to support hundreds of destitute refugee and asylum seeker families as winter sets in."Not true, no genuine asylum seeker and refugee is ever "destitute." All asylum seekers, as long as their asylum claim is ongoing ("deciding a case") will receive accommodation and financial support. Refugee status allows a refugee to work, find their own accommodation and entitlement to same benefits as the indigenous - if they fail to achieve such they will still receive accommodation and benefits. The "destitute" are refused asylum seekers who have been informed they have no legal or moral right to be in the UK - they refuse to leave the UK, they make themselves destitute and remain here illegally.
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Angus McKay
about 7 years ago
Let’s go back to the year 2012 ... whatever happened to the 148 destitute refugees who, so sayeth the Scottish Refugee Council, were facing life on the freezing streets of Glasgow at Christmas, "including 11 families with 21 children, five pregnant women and two new mothers". We had one enterprising, sorry, caring charity, ie, Positive Action in Housing, pleading to send them money and reminding us "£5 provides money for at least one meal a day for a destitute pregnant woman" or alternatively £30 buys a refugee 30 minute "advice session" courtesy of the charity, ie, you pay £30, the charity gives advice, and the charity gets your £30. "Closing time for donations, 3.30pm Christmas Eve".We had 68 Glasgow city councillors demanding the UK government allow them to help destitute refugees, saying the number living on the streets is a ‘humanitarian crisis’. Some of those 68 councillors were contacted and asked if they would be prepared to "help them" and lessen the impending ‘humanitarian crisis’ by offering to accommodate said destitute asylum seekers in the councillors’ own homes, perhaps just over Christmas. All those asked chose not to reply.A Christmas time miracle!! lo and behold, hallelujah, after Christmas Eve the 148 destitute disappeared from the freezing streets of Glasgow and have not been seen or heard of since. Where to? Perhaps our city councillors welcomed them into their homes without telling us? Perhaps the Scottish Refugee Council reneged on their own rule of not giving money to refugees? Perhaps PAiH gave them such good £30 a time half-hour advice that the 148 were able to get their lives sorted out and are now working full time and paying their way. I digress.Well here we go again, the destitute making their winter appearance. Here we are again about to be bombarded with requests to send us money, give, give, give, donate, donate, donate. Oh, nearly forgot ... "refused asylum seekers who claim they cannot return to their home country out of for fear for their lives." ... no problem there, our Home Office has looked into their asylum claims and they can be assured their home countries are safe … and … our Home Office will gladly provide free transport and free flight return to their own countries, all they have to do is ask.
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