Problems with National Insurance numbers and benefits claims means that refugees are finding themselves destitute and homeless, finds new report
People fleeing conflict, torture and terror are experiencing destitution and homelessness because of Home Office policies.
A new report produced by Queen Margaret University says the current 28 days that the Home Office provides to enable refugees to move on from asylum support and accommodation is inadequate.
Difficulties accessing benefits, including ongoing problems in the allocation of National Insurance numbers and the processing of benefits claims, continue to leave people at risk of destitution after they have leave to remain.
The report, which examined the integration of refugees into Scotland, found that high proportions of new refugees experience homelessness. Twelve per cent were unable to access temporary accommodation when they presented as homeless and were advised instead to stay with friends, even though they may have only recently arrived in Scotland.
Despite being strongly motivated to work and contribute to society, new Scots face many obstacles in their attempts to secure jobs and learn English. Just 9 per cent of people recently granted refugee status are in work one year after receiving a positive decision from the Home Office on their asylum claim.
So many of the people are desperate to get back into employment or to set up independent businesses. It is very frustrating to see people prevented from doing this - Wafa Shaheen, Scottish Refugee Council
The report examines the work of Scotland’s Holistic Integration Service, a partnership programme led by the Scottish Refugee Council, and calls for refugees to have the right to access well-resourced, statutory integration support.
It highlights the resilience of new refugees but also the barriers they continue to face.
Scottish Refugee Council head of refugee services Wafa Shaheen said: “So many of the people we work with are desperate to get back into employment or to set up independent businesses. It is very frustrating to see people prevented from doing this because they are lost and bewildered in a new, complex system. Refugees need and deserve professional advice and advocacy at this point in their lives to help them overcome these hurdles and to help them fulfill their potential in Scotland as New Scots.
“Our service provides people with practical support and acts as a bridge to Scottish society. But evidence clearly shows that without our support even the most capable refugees are not able to access their rights. We believe that the model we have developed now needs to be a statutory right embedded in legislation and not left to an overburdened and overstretched voluntary sector."
Refugees interviewed by researchers spoke of struggling to balance long-term career goals with the short-term need to learn English and gain work experience in Scotland.
Although the majority of refugees arrive in Scotland without family members, people reported that they had frequent contact with relatives and friends. These social connections, and positive views of the welcome offered by Scottish residents, were strong motivating factors for people to remain in Scotland after being granted leave to remain. However people were keen to increase their opportunities to meet with other Scots and participate in the community.
New Scots from some communities, particularly those joining settled communities from their home countries in Scotland, were able to use their social connections to find job opportunities. Many people spoke of feeling uncomfortable depending on benefits, and all planned to be self-sufficient in future, including several who were planning to set up their own businesses in Scotland.
The report says barriers to integration can be address by improving access to rights, promoting social connections and systems improvements by statutory services. Models of peer education and empowerment developed under the Holistic Integration Service provide examples of ways in which refugees themselves can use their own self-agency to build independent and fulfilling lives in Scotland.
Scottish Government minister for employability and training Jamie Hepburn MSP said: “The Holistic Integration Service provides an invaluable service for refugees. Its integration work is an example to the rest of the UK and indeed the world. I would like to thank Scottish Refugee Council, its partners and all the refugees who have contributed to the report.
“We will continue to do all we can, on all fronts and not just employability, to support the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland, no matter how they arrived. I am very proud to work in partnership with Scottish Refugee Council and other organisations in this endeavour.”
The report gathers evidence from around 2,000 people who have been supported by the organisation’s Holistic Integration Service over the last three years. The service supports people in all areas of their lives once they receive a positive decision on their claim for protection in the UK.
Partners on the Holistic Integration Service were British Red Cross, Bridges Programmes, Glasgow Clyde College and Workers Educational Association Scotland.
