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As you may know, SERCO has today announced in a press statement that it will resume lock change evictions against 300 refugees and asylum seekers in Glasgow starting next week. See link to BBC news. We are shocked by this latest move. An appeal is lodged with the Court of Session by Govan Law Centre, the hearing took place on June 10th 2019. The decision will be known on July 1 2019.
We are therefore calling on Serco to suspend these evictions pending the Court of Session appeal.
SERCO agreed publicly not to take any immediate action to evict after the Court of Session judgement last month, and would consult with "key partners". Neither of these happened, in fact, since April 2019, asylum seekers have come into our office in Glasgow with letters telling them to leave their accommodation immediately. People are feeling intimidated into leaving their accommodation.
In the absence of a structured eviction process with sheriff officers attending, we are extremely concerned as to the manner of these lock change evictions. We are aware that people have complained about SERCO officers rifling through their personal belongings, sudden lock changes taking place while people are out at college or their lawyer or at the GP. There is no procedure. We do not know what these lock change evictions will look like. Anecdotal evidence tells us that vulnerable, frightened people, both men and women, will be further distressed. Our advice is to decline to leave so that they can appeal to the first tier tribunal against negative asylum support decisions. Many of the people affected by the lock change evictions are very vulnerable individuals, often with severe mental health issues, who's only alternative will be destitution. SERCO keeps referring to phased lock changes, whereby 30 people a week will be turned out onto the streets of Glasgow, yet with in the next 2.5 months we will see at least 300 people being made totally destitute in Glasgow, some of whom will beg other asylum seekers to take them in thereby risking others' accommodation.
Furthermore, this charity will face an increased demand from destitute people seeking emergency grants and spare rooms in the homes of our volunteers hosts through Room for refugees. We are appalled that Serco would carry out these actions against vulnerable refugees who endure interminable Home Office delays with their cases. We have been told by several Serco residents that they have considered suicide. It is a chilling reminder of the triple suicide of an asylum seeking couple and their son in Glasgow's Red Road flats in 2010, on the day they were told they had to get out of their Home Office flat. To avoid lock changes, some Serco residents stopped going to college or leaving their flats to buy milk or bread. We are talking about families, children, the elderly, the disabled, lone women and men.
This is the hostile environment on Scottish soil, war refugees, many from Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, and Afghanistan, endure systematic cruelty at the hands of an asylum system that fast tracks them into "refused" asylum status, then leaves them destitute. It needs to be remembered that many of the asylum seekers that Serco intends to evict are often pursuing their legal cases and have had their decisions overturned on appeal.
Emergency Appeal
To address the current emergency situation, we have today launched a Just-giving emergency appeal in aid of the asylum seeker men and women, many fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, who are to be made destitute in Glasgow by SERCO. Such an action places added pressure on Positive Action in Housing's Emergency Relief Fund which provides crisis grants and arranges free shelter through our Room for Refugees Network. Genuine Refugees endure systematic cruelty at the hands of an asylum system that fast tracks them into "refused" asylum status, then leaves them destitute. Please see our annual report for the humanitarian work we do to help people rebuild their lives, and donate if you can.
Finally, we depend on regular donations to help us help people to rebuild their lives and campaign for peoples basic human rights. It takes only a minute. Donate regularly using PayPal Giving. Or donate regularly via Charities Aid Foundation . Or go to www.positiveactionh.org/donate for other ways to give.
Kind regards
Robina Qureshi
Director
Positive Action in Housing
98 West George Street
Glasgow G2 1PJ
Registered charity number SC027577
Company limited by guarantee 158867
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