Can you save Refugees from sleeping on Glasgow streets?

Refugees are facing homelessness as Glasgow has declared a housing emergency.

Families who have fled war and torture are at risk of being on the streets while temperatures drop this winter.

It comes after the Home Office hurriedly tried to clear the ‘backlog’ of asylum cases, meaning people who have been granted refugee status are being given as little as seven days to leave their accommodation.

We previously reported how the Home Office is expected to make 2,500 decisions on asylum seekers in Glasgow by the end of the year.

UK government rules prevent people in the asylum system from working while their claim is processed.

Donations will go far in helping struggling refugees (Image: Sourced)

As a result, most new refugees aren’t able to save money for a deposit or rent, leaving them with nowhere to go.

Scotland’s national refugee charity Scottish Refugee Council is now begging for help by launching an urgent Winter Appeal.

In Glasgow alone, up to 1,400 refugees – including families with young children – are at risk of homelessness this winter.

Scottish Refugee Council is asking generous Scots to show their support for people who have come here seeking safety by making a donation and adding a message of hope to their virtual Christmas tree.

Shoppers looking for the perfect present can also buy gift cards, tote bags and limited edition t-shirts featuring Dougie the Scottie dog, designed for Scottish Refugee Council by local artists Dawn Richardson and Yamamah Naram.

Scottish Refugee Council CEO, Sabir Zazai said: “There are thousands of people right across Scotland looking for safety and protection in our communities.

“Because of the UK Government’s regressive and inhumane asylum policies, these people have found themselves in really difficult situations, at times ending up in institutional forms of accommodation or ex-hotels and asked to survive on only £1.30 a day in this cost of living crisis.

“By donating to our Winter Appeal, you can send a powerful message to the UK government and show that Scotland is a welcoming place for people seeking protection.”

We previously reported how Members of Glasgow City Council’s City Administration Committee voted for the declaration on Thursday following the decision of the UK Government to streamline its asylum process.

Since the streamlining came into effect in June, there has been a stark increase in the number of homelessness referrals of former asylum seekers by the Mears Group, which initially provides them with housing.

Since August – the first full month where applications for homelessness support could be made for those who received their decisions in June – there have been 575 applications, compared to the 425 between that point and the beginning of the year.