Thanks for taking the time to visit Positive Action in Housing's (SC027577) Destitution Appeal.

Positive Action in Housing is a Scottish charity raising money for our Lifeline Project. Lifeline provides emergency support in the form of food, temporary shelter, crisis payments and practical support to destitute asylum seekers and their dependents in Glasgow and the rest of Scotland.

Our target is to raise £24,000 by 31 March 2014.

Please donate now, it takes a few seconds. You can make a one off donation or give regularly by standing order.

Remember to tick the box to ensure your donation is “gift aided”, thus adding an extra 25% if you’re a UK taxpayer.

Alternatively, donate by SMS: just text ABCD25, with £2, £5 or £10, to 70070, e.g. text ABCD25 £5 to 70070.

In 2012, the Lifeline project provided emergency payments, food, temporary shelter and practical advice and support to 313 destitute asylum seekers. 

We provided 586 nights of emergency shelter (through hostels and our volunteers). We gave out crisis payments totalling £30,400 from the Hardship Fund. (We currently give out over £2000 every month).

The Fund is paid for by private donations. Two thirds of those who we help are classed as  “additionally vulnerable”: the elderly, children, pregnant women, young women under the age of 25, those with mental or physical health problems, survivors of trauma, for example, torture, sex trafficking or domestic violence.

When you're stripped of your most basic human rights: the right to food, shelter, warmth and paid work, thinking about your future becomes impossible. You are living day to day, hand to mouth, and trying to find your next day's meal or safe shelter.  The cycle of long term destitution, mental health problems and further family breakdown becomes inevitable.

The Lifeline project aims to bring stability to the lives of destitute asylum seekers and their families in a safe, confidential environment.  It allows people the necessary breathing space to reconsider their options in a supportive environment. The Project provides befrienders, volunteers and advisers whose job it is to meet basic human needs of food, warmth, shelter and social networks in order to bring back stability and hope for a more positive outcome to their status in the UK by providing access to good legal support and the chance for often erroneous asylum decisions being overturned by judicial review.

Any donation you give, no matter how modest, is greatly welcomed.

The response to our appeal has been humbling. Some people have donated their heating allowances. Others are donating money intended for birthday or festive gifts. Teachers and pupils from schools have gathered food items, blankets and clothing. John Wilkes, the Chief Executive of Scottish Refugee Council has described our work as "life saving". The Archdiocese of Glasgow, our members, Scottish Registered Social Landlords, women’s organisations, trade unions and others have all generously donated. With your help, we can support people like:

· 57 year old Mr Chen has a serious heart condition. He was living on the floor of another asylum seeker's flat but was asked to leave at short notice. Mr Chen slept rough at the local Bus Station the night before arriving at Positive Action in Housing. Although he had applied for “section 4” support he was still without immediate shelter. We arranged a crisis payment and essential travel for hospital appointments and found a volunteer willing to give a room for two to three weeks while his support came through.

· 30 year old Patrick has been waiting for 18 months for a decision. He manages to sleep on the floor of someone's flat. He was referred to a GP because of his ill appearance; the GP said he was, in fact, starving.

· 58 year old Josephine from Somalia is a very frail, unwell woman and has had no support for 6 months.

· 26 year old Aisha who received no emergency support for 7 months and became malnourished.

We want to ensure we can give support to everyone who needs it. Please give a donation today. ALL money will go directly towards providing humanitarian relief to service users.

Donating through Just Giving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, the money goes straight to the Hardship Fund and Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Positive Action in Housing (Scottish Registered Charity No SC027577) is a homelessness charity which provides a hardship fund and emergency free shelter for destitute people seeking asylum. Our Lifeline Project is the only project of its kind in Scotland. It directly assists those who are forced into starvation and destitution by the UK government in an attempt to force them to return to unsafe conditions. The overall aim is to lift people out of destitution and assist them to gain a resolution of their status, whether by overturning bad decisions or seeking reviews or negotiating return.

Registered office: 98 West George Street Glasgow G2 1PJ