In the last week we have received many calls and emails from people seeking asylum, churches, schools, charities and others who extremely distressed about the UK Border Agency’s decision to move 1300 refugee families out of their existing homes and support services provided under a contract with Glasgow City Council.
Families have been warned that they will be given three days notice of removal to “alternative accommodation within the Scotland region”. There is no guarantee that children will be allowed to remain at their existing schools or places of further education. Further disruption will be caused to those receiving medical help for physical and mental health needs.
This mass removal will cause unnecessary heartache to people seeking asylum, who have painstakingly put down roots after being completely uprooted in their countries of origin, and the communities they leave behind.
It should not be forgotten that for the past ten years in Glasgow, people seeking asylum have been put into the hard to let houses no one else wanted to live in. Houses were kept warm and occupied. Refugees have brought a sense of community and vibrance to neighbourhoods where previously there was none. We see no merit in houses being left empty, damp and vandalised when there are people who need and want them. Their unnecessary departure will devastate those communities.
The UKBA’s decision to end the contract with the Council will have a detrimental impact on people seeking asylum who are successful in their asylum claim. Once a person is granted refugee status, UKBA support and accommodation ends after 28 days. To avoid them becoming homeless, the Council turns the accommodation into a temporary furnished flat under homeless legislation which allows for less disruption. The removal of the contract will lead to increased disruption for refugee families if accommodated by another provider and then having to move to new accommodation when presenting homeless.
The contract termination will also increase pressure on Glasgow City Council homeless services who will need to respond to a growing demand for temporary accommodation. There will be costs to bear by the Council because of this decision, as more pressure is put on the City’s homelessness services, social work and the National Health Service. With or without a contract the City council will be paying up for asylum seekers.
Council services have an advantage in that they have a support service in place and are properly regulated and accountable, especially in terms of complaints, provision of basic amenities, repairs and health and safety. We have serious concerns about private accommodation contractors being brought in to house very vulnerable people. We are concerned that families will be moved into the most run down accommodation in order to generate a profit for private landlords contracted to the UKBA.
If the contract termination goes ahead, we also envisage an increase in refugee homelessness, complaints about isolation, poor access to statutory services, poor housing, repairs and lack of basic amenities like hot water and electricity, to name a few issues. We also anticipate that there will be more people going undetected who are sick, disabled or traumatised.
We believe things will get much worse for asylum seekers. See below two examples of cases which we have recently dealt with which illustrates our concerns.
Taranjeet and Jagmeet’s story
In August 2009, Taranjeet and Jagmeet’s 23 month old little boy Jasraj fell to his death from the window of an Angel Group flat in Dennistoun, Glasgow. (For the full story see our annual report at http://www.paih.org/). Homes with vulnerable occupants must have windows fitted with equipment to prevent falls. The family maintain the window had no safety restrictors fitted to it. They have recently been informed that the Crown Office is actively looking into the possibility of criminal proceedings and/or a Fatal Accident Inquiry and that they, the family, are in no way under suspicion. We eagerly await the deliberations of the Crown Office, as we are sure that people seeking asylum will wish to be assured that their health and safety is not being compromised by the UK Borders Agency or its subcontractors. See http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/tragedy-of-a-toddler-s-death-and-his-family-s-quest-for-answers-1.1060509 for more info on this story.
Some of you may recall the case of Helen Bih, a disabled woman seeking asylum, whose case was highlighted by the evening times in September 2010.
Over a period of 13 months, the Angel Group, subcontracted to the UK Borders Agency, moved her repeatedly into unsuitable housing without considering her mobility problems or her disability. As a result, none of the properties that Helen was moved to were suitable. When we visited Helen, she was frequently unable to use her Azure card because she could not get to the local Asda because of her mobility problems. She often relied on handouts for food. At one point in her previous accommodation, Helen could not leave her accommodation to collect her Azure card for four weeks, because the accommodation had steps inside and outside the property. Also it was now miles away from any community support. She was physically crawling about her accommodation. She would have literally starved were it not for a chance visit by a doctor from the Medical Foundation who then bought her groceries. The reaction of the UK Borders Agency to Helen not collecting her Azure card was to threaten to stop her support altogether on the grounds that Helen “failed” to collect her Azure card.
When we took up Helen’s case, she had not showered for four months; she could not use the shower. She could not sit at the kitchen table or sit on the sofa. The toilet was inaccessible to her and she had to use a commode in her bedroom and wait for carers to empty it in the morning. She needed step free accommodation and was on morphine. Angel Group offered Helen alternative accommodation when her existing flat was flooded and became a fire risk. She turned it down because it was inaccessible because of a deep step at the entrance (Helen is on crutches). The Angel Group told us that it was only “one step” and it was Helen’s “choice” to turn the property down and return to a flooded property. They accused her of “visiting a friend” when they came to pick her up, implying she had no mobility problems. In fact the “friends” were volunteers from a local refugee group who carried her upstairs to their accommodation so she did not have to sleep in a flooded flat.
Once we took up her case, Helen was referred to Social Work and moved into step free Glasgow City Council accommodation within days. The Social work department ordered an assessment of Helen’s disability needs and her accommodation was adapted accordingly.
We asked Angel Group why they did not refer Helen to Social Work earlier. We were informed that it is not their job, it is the UKBA’s job. Helen Bih is now at risk of being moved from her council accommodation back into the hands of private accommodation contractors.
Compare the reactions of the UKBA and its private accommodation contractors with that of the Council. The council acted swiftly to provide Helen the support she needed. There is no comparison. The UKBA and its sub contractor the Angel Group acted carelessly and neglectfully in our view by not considering Helen Bih’s disability needs.
The Council accommodation is regulated and provides additional support structures. The goal of private accommodation contractors is purely to profiteer from the most vulnerable people in our society. They are unable to compete with the quality of service that the Council offers.
The Angel Group got £23 million from the UKBA to provide accommodation to asylum seekers in Scotland. (We understand that their contract was significantly reduced to the minimum of 10% recently although exactly why has not been made public). We know there are housing associations who could provide an infinitely better housing and support service for a fraction of that. We asked housing associations about their views of the way Helen was treated. They were shocked and disgusted at the inhumane and callous treatment that someone as vulnerable as Helen was subjected to.
Helen Bih is one of those who risks being moved back into accommodation provided by private accommodation contractors.
What can you do?
We believe this decision is not irrevocable and that there is scope to turn things around, and for the UK Borders Agency and the Council to return to negotiations. If the Council and the UK Borders Agency could find a compromise, then there is no need for children to be forced to leave their homes, communities and schools.
We call on both the UK Borders Agency and the Glasgow City Council to resume negotiations and find a solution so Glasgow’s 1300 people seeking asylum are able to remain where they are, in council accommodation.
We believe the First Minister Alex Salmond has a role in ensuring the council contract is reinstated for the sake of Glasgow and her communities. We are therefore calling on the First Minister to use his influence to encourage the UK Borders Agency and the Council to renegotiate. We ask you to write to the First Minister to express, in your own words, your concerns about the dangers of terminating the contract and to call for a resumption of negotiations so that a solution is found as quickly as possible. His Email address is: FirstMinister@scotland.gsi.gov.uk .
We also ask that you write to the following and ask them to renegotiate a contract for the sake of Glasgow:
· Phil Taylor, Head of UKBA Scotland - phil.taylor@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Write also to:
· Theresa May, Home Secretary. Email mayt@parliament.uk
· Your Councillor, MSP and MP. To find their name and contact details, please click on http://www.writetothem.com/.
Please copy all your correspondence to home@paih.org.
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