Guest post by Katharine Weatherhead Next month, it will have been four years since the publication of a report entitled Preventing Destitute Homelessness (June 2013). The report, commissioned by the Refugee Survival Trust and compiled by Community InfoSource, investigated the challenges posed by homelessness for asylum seekers in Scotland. What…
From April to December 2016, RST provided 619 destitution grants to refugees and asylum seekers. The grants came to a total of £53,919.45, with an average of £87.11. The top three nationalities of grant recipients were: Eritrean (14.7%), Syrian (11.9%), and Iranian (11.1%). Why do people flee from these countries?…
Asylum seekers and refugees living in Edinburgh will now find it easier to apply for the Refugee Survival Trust’s grant programmes, as two organisations in the city have become referral partners. Staff at The Welcoming Association and Saheliya will be able to distribute one day Lothian bus and tram passes to destitute asylum…
Guest post by Katharine Weatherhead Last week, on 25 January 2017, the Equalities and Human Rights Committee announced that an inquiry into destitution and asylum in Scotland is underway. Let’s look at some elements of the inquiry. What is the Equalities and Human Rights Committee? It is a committee of…
Analysis of the destitution grants awarded by RST over the 9 months from April to December 2016 show that the number of children we are supporting continues to increase. 20% of the grant applications over this period included children – 125 cases, supporting a total of 307 children. Of these, 43…
Asylum seekers are at risk of destitution throughout the asylum process, particularly when their asylum claim is refused and their support is withdrawn. An unknown number of asylum seekers live in Scotland, sometimes for years, without income, failing to reach even the United Nations (UN) target on global poverty of…
RST’s destitution grants April – June 2016 RST provided 212 destitution grants from April to June 2016, supporting 334 people and totalling £16,278. The average grant was £77. The average monthly spend was £5,426. [Click image to enlarge] Key facts 73% of lead applicants were male 77% of applicants were…
Because unfortunately, it is needed. Many people who have been granted refugee status face destitution immediately due to a fault in the system. This is when refugees understandably believe that the chances of being made destitute by the asylum system are behind them. Sadly this is too often not the…
