On Monday, four intrepid explorers will set out upon the West Highland Way to raise money for Positive Action in Housing's LifeLine Project.  Braving the elements for five days, we are seeking to raise money to directly support refugees and asylum seekers throughout Scotland.  The Destitution Fund supports people left homeless and destitute by the incompetence and malevolence of the UK asylum system.  

The Lifeline Project was set up in 2005 in response to the increasing numbers of destitute asylum seekers in Glasgow, which has the second largest “refugee” community in the UK residing in hard-to-let housing in the city’s deprived areas.  An ever-increasing number whose asylum claims have been rejected, or who have fallen victim to administrative or bureaucratic incompetence, are having their accommodation and benefits stopped.  Many end up sleeping rough, where they are vulnerable to violent and often racially motivated attacks, and to labour or sexual exploitation with a real risk of becoming long-term destitute.

Since the project’s inception, the number of people seeking assistance has increased almost tenfold, from 34 in 2004 to 303 in 2010/11. In the last year, too, the Project saw 229 clients considered “additionally vulnerable” – this includes the elderly, the very young, a number of pregnant women, and several clients suffering severe health problems.  148 had been destitute for between 1 and 3 years. The UK government Joint Committee on Human Rights stated in 2007 that:

“We have been persuaded by the evidence that the Government has indeed been practising a deliberate policy of destitution of this highly vulnerable group…the Government’s treatment of asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers falls below the requirements of the common law of humanity and of international human rights law.”^[1]

PAiH’s Work

Multilingual caseworkers work to identify clients’ needs and inform them of their rights, entitlements and options. Backed by a large network of freelance interpreters, they provide access to food, shelter and legal advice for those without legal status.  The Project operates with a view to allowing people to re-engage with the asylum system in a more fair, just and stable way, and to resolve their legal status according to their own wishes.

The Hardship Fund exists to provide small amounts of money for food cheap hostel accommodation. In 2011/12, it is £24,000, an increase of 33% since 2009.  PAiH provided 1930 nights of shelter through hostels (159 nights) and volunteers (1771 nights) in 2010, a 33 % increase since last year (1453 nights).  The project is unique in terms of the work it does for the client group it helps, assisting destitute asylum seekers at a time of total crisis and when they feel they simply cannot return to their country of origin without fearing for their safety, yet have no mechanisms of support here. 

The biggest difference the Project makes is in giving destitute asylum seekers a chance to pursue their cases, to return to their country of origin when they feel it is safe for them, or try to seek other legal support from a position of shelter and security rather than from the danger of the streets. This project has been a lifeline for destitute asylum seekers by bridging the gap until their status is resolved, helping them find work, a secure and safe home and helping them take the first steps towards building a new life and eventually contributing as equal citizens in society.

It’s difficult to communicate the value of the Project with numbers.  Every penny we raise will go directly into the Hardship Fund, and thus directly to providing food and shelter for those who need it most, maybe for months at a time.  The £600 target is enough to provide at least 30 nights of food and shelter to someone who desperately needs it.  Please take the time to help; any and all donations to the cause are most welcome and will be met with the highest gratitude.

Thanks for reading,

The Intrepid Explorers (James Thomson, Calum Lindsay, Jonathan Grant, Tony Boyeldieu)