STAR are taking to the steps of the Wellington Church once again to raise awareness about the forced destitution of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK and fundraise for the Glasgow-based chairty Positive Action in Housing.  

▲What is destitution?▲

Desitution means having nothing - no shelter, no clean water and no food.  Asylum seekers and new refugees (if they have not recieved the correct papers) are not allowed to access state-run homeless shelters in the UK, and instead must rely on the help of charities and friends. 1 in 4 people seeking asylum in the UK will experience a period of destitution

▲Why are people made destitute?▲

After fleeing from life-threatening danger asylum seekers are told that their case is not believable and that they must return to their home country.  This is not possible for a great majority of asylum seekers either because - their circumstances will not have changed (for example, being gay in a country where homosexuality is criminalised), or because their persecution will have been worsened by seeking asylum initially and upon return they face much harsher treatment.  Furthermore, the Home Office sometimes does not believe the nationality that a person declares themselves as, and sometimes attempts to deport them to a different country, which can be very dangerous if their nationality is persecuted there.  There are also a number of countries which the UK government cannot legally return asylum seekers too, due to war or instability, or because they cannot obtain travel documents for them,  however, countries like Afghanistan are not included on this list, despite how dangerous life there still is.  Bureauracy can also force refugees into destitution as there can be a delay between the transition from Asylum Support and UK benefits.

To get as many people out to the Sleepout to hearing our message we'll be holding an Open Air Cabaret from 8-11pm.  We're currently looking for performers so please get in touch! Entry will be free  but with a suggested donation of £2 to go to Positive Action in Housing.

Thanks for taking the time to read our justgiving page!  If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at starglasgow(at)googlemail.com or visit the Stop Destitution Campaign website - http://www.stopdestitution.org.uk/

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