Destitute Asylum Seekers in Nottingham

The asylum seekers mentioned here will only be identified by their initials to preserve the little dignity that they have left.

H, an Iranian refugee, was living in London 7 months ago when his benefits were stopped due to the barbaric asylum policies of this government.  He had nowhere else to go but Nottingham, where he had friends who said they would help him.  No support from social services.  Not allowed to work.  One of his friends let him stay with him for a few months. Then another friend for a few weeks, but on this occasion the landlord said he couldn’t stay there any longer as the flat was rented out for one person only.

Members of staff from NNRF managed to get him a few nights stay in a local hotel bed and breakfast accommodation.  H doesn’t know where he’ll end up.

T is a Kosovan gentleman who has had his support taken away.  Now he stays in a corridor in a housing agency at night.  The staff there allow him to sleep there as he has a serious mental illness.  He is in his fifties.

D is a Palestinian gentleman who has also been refused, and has no financial support.  He has taken to sleeping in sheds in allottments.

H is a Kurdish gentleman.  On his wedding day he was attacked with a hammer, and his wife and mother were killed.  He was blinded in one eye and is partially blind in the other.  He survives any which way he can. Kurdish people in the Nottingham community try to help him, even though they are in no position to do so themselves really, as they are on scant benefits.

S is from Kabul, Afghanistan.  He is a follower of the Sikh religion, which is why all his family members were killed, it seems, and his community displaced.  He, like many others, fled for his life. He is living on the streets of Nottingham.

O is a man from Iraq.  He's been here for 9 months, and never had any support because of S55.  All he has are the clothes he wears.  He's been staying with friends and living rough.  He arrived at NNRF in a very distressed state, needed lots of calming down.  He'd received a letter telling him to sign on at the police station, and was frightened that he'd be detained.  This terrified him.  He doesn't want to beg, doesn't want to be a charity case and ask for handouts.  He wants a life.  If he can't have one, he'd rather die.  He threatened to kill himself.

S is a young woman from the Congo.  She said she'd just arrived.  She was in ill health and possibly pregnant.  Because of S55, she had to register at either Liverpool, Solihull or Croydon.  NNRF Destitution fund gave her money for the train to Liverpool (the cheapest route).  There, she was given another appointment a week later, also in Liverpool.  Meanwhile, an agency gave her emergency accommodation and money for food, but is not allowed to give her a train ticket.  The attitude was: "If she lives off bread and milk for a week, she can save for her ticket."  It was since discovered that she's under 18, and should be in the care of social services, where she now is.