Refused Asylum Seekers Fed by Charities
posted: 16/06/2010
Up to 20,000 refused asylum seekers are living destitute in the UK, relying on charities for food, reports the Red Cross today. George House Trust supports around 40 people living with HIV who are destitute.The Red Cross report criticises the government's asylum system as "shameful" and "inhumane".
A network of Red Cross "destitution clinics" across the country, including Manchester, give out food vouchers and food parcels to thousands of refused asylum seekers every week. The Red Cross say that this is like their work distributing emergency humanitarian aid in countries such as Sudan.
Sharing the burden
The Red Cross, George House Trust and other charities provide a mix of small payments, food parcels and other help to people living with HIV who are destitute. But the numbers of people requiring help and the cost of meeting everyone's needs are beyond any charity's means. Many other migrants share what little they have themselves to help those with nothing.
Destitution strategy
"This is a serious humanitarian situation for these very vulnerable people," Nicholas Young, chief executive of the Red Cross, said. "We do feel that this needs to be tackled by the government because there appears to be a deliberate strategy to make people destitute … for centuries refugees have been coming to this country and receiving kind treatment. It is a shame that is not the case now."
Because many refused asylum seekers no longer register with the Home Office, it is hard to get precise figures about the scale of the problem. Asylum organisations estimate that around 200,000 people have been refused asylum but remain in the country. Most are being sheltered by friends, but the Red Cross estimates that up to 20,000 are wholly dependent on charities for food, with some sleeping on the streets, in garages and in hedges.
"In many cases they experience exploitation, overcrowded living conditions, street homelessness, physical and mental illnesses and malnourishment," the report states.
Can’t work, no money, no food, no home
Once an asylum request is refused, the asylum seeker is no longer eligible to receive any state support and remains prohibited from working. "You can remove people back to their home country, or you can keep them here. But you have to give people food. You cannot starve people out of the country," said Joseph Nibizi, who runs the Red Cross food distribution centre for asylum seekers in Birmingham. The Red Cross report reflects its conviction that the situation is worsening.
Call for humane treatment - the right to work and healthcare
Red Cross are calling for a support system that will ensure that individuals have the right to work, and access to healthcare, throughout their application until they are either granted leave to stay or are able to leave the country.
HIV and destitution
People with HIV who are destitute cannot leave for various reasons, including the lack of life-saving HIV treatment, they would have no income or support in their home country, or the danger they face that caused them to flee still remains.
Section 4
The current system does have a safety net of hardship support, known as "section 4", which is available for those who have been refused asylum but are taking steps to return to their own country, or who are appealing against the decision. But it is a safety net with big holes and many fall through the gaps. People are left destitute until they have put together a new application which has to be accepted by the Home Office as based on new evidence. Applications are not accepted automatically, and some, including people with HIV, are unwilling to apply for section 4 because they do not want to be forced to return home.
One meal a day – for a year or more
A survey by Red Cross reveals that 87% of people in this situation often survive on only one meal a day, with six out of 10 remaining destitute for more than a year.
More than 1 in 4 appeals won
Asylum support organisations argue that refusing asylum does not automatically mean the application was unjustified. Last year 28% of people who appealed against asylum refusal were granted leave to remain, a figure that activists say reflects serious flaws in the process. About half of those whose claim is rejected come from countries such as Congo, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea where there is conflict and in some of these countries HIV rates are high.
Minister responds
Damian Green, minister for immigration, said: "The government is committed to exploring new ways of improving the current asylum system. The UK Border Agency provides support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute until a decision on their application is made. However, when the independent courts have decided that an asylum seeker does not need international protection, support is discontinued and we expect them to return home voluntarily. Where a refused asylum seeker does not return voluntarily we will take removal action. Where a person faces a temporary barrier to their return which is not their fault, we will provide support until that barrier is removed if they would otherwise be destitute."
However the facts speak for themselves.
Surviving on £10 a week
If you can't work, can't claim benefits, and have nowhere to live, how do you survive with one £10 food voucher a week? Four refused asylum seekers tell their survival tales. Helpful tips come from four refused asylum seekers in Birmingham, who remain in this country, preparing to appeal the Home Office decision, sleeping meanwhile in hedges, doorways, old garages and staircases.
Read four people’s accounts of survival on £10 a week in vouchers
Red Cross news
Red Cross Destitution report – Not Gone But Forgotten
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