The anti-destitution group

The NNRF Anti-Destitution Group supports local asylum seekers who are destitute, receiving no state benefits or support. They are prohibited from employment, so charity is their only means of subsistence. They are people who have come to this country seeking safety but whose asylum claims have failed, and who are unable or too scared to return to their country of origin. Those who have become destitute in this way include young people, old people, torture survivors, people with mental and other health problems and parents with children or babies.

The Anti-Destitution Group has been giving each person £10 per month, plus some food weekly. All this money has been raised by voluntary donations. Because of the high numbers of people we are trying to support, a large number of donations are needed. The project is run by volunteers, without running expenses, so all donations made go directly to destitute asylum seekers.

To download a combined standing order and gift aid declaration form, click here.

It is a measure of the welcome human beings can give each other that the project has been able to run for nearly three years. However, it is now in crisis; we are having to tell some of the people living on £10 a month that we can’t even afford to give them that. Please help us make sure this will happen to as few people as possible.

If this makes you angry, then please kick up a fuss! Give us your money, but also give us your support. Tell your friends. Ask organisations you are involved with to support us. Pass resolutions. Write to MPs, the media, the Home Office. Destitution amidst the plenty we live in is unacceptable.

It was June 2004 when we first began providing support to asylum seekers in Nottingham, left destitute when their asylum case was refused. During the first 2 years we have:

helped several hundred individuals from over 20 countries, given cash to individuals on over 2602 occasions, paid out over £37,912 in cash, given out over 4,017 lunch tickets.

Also:

• Over £10,000 has been received in one-off donations to NNRF’s Destitution Fund, and additionally nearly £1000 per month is given as standing orders,
• A number of individuals and organisations have raised funds for us through marathons, tuck shop sales, sponsored diets, gigs and other fund-raising events.

Since we moved to The Square Centre, there have been lots of changes. The food is attractively laid out and there is even a little bit of choice (within the stringent limitations of our budget). Fruit and vegetables are now available as well as basic tinned goods. The food distribution is on Saturday mornings, which are now much more of a social event. There are many more volunteers helping, some of whom are themselves asylum seekers without financial support. Drinks and biscuits have always been available and recently there has been some hot food on offer. There are games of backgammon, and scrabble to help with learning English. There is also time for people to discuss any problems they may have. Food may be collected each week, and about 50 people currently do so, though in the winter months, numbers went up to over 60 at times.

Anyone who wants to visit on Saturday morning to see what we do is welcome. You can look in for 5 minutes or stay for the morning.

The WE ALL NEED TO EAT image was created in a workshop making placards for Mayday 2007.

Imagine your weekly shop multiplied 30 times and that might give you an idea of the scale of the destitution group’s shopping. It is done by a stalwart group of 4 or 5 people. One collects the bread and eggs and the rest wheel trolleys around the cheapest supermarket we can find. Everything then has to be unloaded and lugged down to NNRF’s basement. Last year we bought over 2,000 kilos of rice, more than 3000 tins of tomatoes, 2,080 loafs, 2,885 litres of juice and milk as well thousands of tins of beans, tuna, sweet corn, peaches. We try and give out as much food as we possibly can, but we are limited by the amount of money we receive in donations. We currently only give:- 1 litre of juice & milk, rice or pasta, tinned tomatoes, chick peas, sweet corn, tuna, tea & sugar, lentils, fish fingers, fresh fruit & vegetables & 2 items from the choice table (eggs, oil, margarine, peanut butter, coffee, porridge).

Unfortunately since nearly everything we buy is in the supermarket’s basic range, none of the major supermarkets will allow us to shop online and have it delivered. However, a local green grocer has started to deliver all fresh fruit and vegetables and to our green fingered friends we always welcome any home/allotment grown donations.

About 140-150 people a month currently receive cash support. We give £2.50 a week (£5 for those with serious health problems). This is all we can afford. The money is given out on Tuesday mornings by a rota of regular volunteers.

Leading up to the winter last year, we organised an appeal for good quality warm clothing and bedding. We received loads of coats, jumpers, scarf's, gloves hats, t-shirts, duvets, blankets etc. We then set up a weekly Saturday morning stall at the forum and distributed the clothes free of charge to asylum seekers that attended the food distribution. During the spring and summer, we were able to use the stall to distribute surplus household goods donated.

Over the year we’ve given out bikes, microwaves, TVs, pushchairs, suit cases, shopping trolleys and 50 hot water bottles. We’ve also been able to support families with babies and young children by regularly putting out appeals for essential items such as clothing, pushchairs, cots &c.

Over the last year we have encouraged more refugees to get involved, as volunteers and quite a few refugees have taken us up on this offer. They have been able to relate to refugees from their own communities and have been useful in being able to communicate with some of the refugees who do not have fluent English. No special qualifications or skills are needed to be a volunteer, just a willingness to work in a welcoming way with people who are destitute and have endured many hardships.

Frank