Robina Qureshi is the Executive director of Positive Action in Housing (PAIH), a Scottish charity that is involved in countering racism and discrimination, particularly in housing.

On October 6th 2010, Robina is going to sleep rough for one night in Glasgow.  Her goal is to raise £24,000 for PAIH’s Hardship Fund which gives out money for food and shelter to destitute individuals and families from Iraq, Sudan, Somalia and China as well as other countries where they are fleeing persecution.  If you would like to sponsor Robina, head over to her JustGiving page.

Robina explains why she is so passionate about raising money for asylum seekers in need:

Through my work, I come across many people, especially young people, pregnant women and the elderly. Many are from Iraq, Iran, Somalia, DR Congo, China and other countries with known records of human rights abuses. They have been forced out of their homes in an attempt to force them to return to their countries of origin.

In March 2010, I came across the case of a family of three Russians, the Sehryk family. Sergue, Tatiana and their teenage son Stepan killed themselves by throwing themselves from the 15th floor of their YMCA rented flat at Red Road in Glasgow. They were told to leave their flat by that day, March 7. Their benefits of £105 per week had been stopped. The family were in genuine fear of being returned to their country of origin because of Mr Sehryk’s links with Russian military intelligence. According to a lawyer that advised them, the family were utterly shocked to be told that if they did not return they would have to leave their flat, they would become destitute, be forbidden to work, and refused recourse to public funds or emergency housing. Tragically, the Sehryk family didn’t overstay their ‘welcome’: the night before their suicide they left suicide notes and personal papers with a friend, and on the morning of Sunday March 7, their supposed eviction date, they jumped from the balcony of their 15th floor high rise flat. Their story became the subject of international media attention.

I know other families who have considered suicide as an alternative to being returned to unsafe countries, women with young children whose children have been taken into care because they could cope no longer with the constant fear of refusal, and then the ultimate realisation that they will have to return, without having had a fair hearing.

The Hardship Fund is supported by people from all over Scotland, the UK and across Europe. It tries to give a breathing space to people while they work out what to do when their money and shelter has been stopped. The Destitution project gives people the time to find a lawyer, lodge fresh evidence or seek a judicial review of bad asylum decisions, which are becoming more comon under the “fast track” system. The project provides a small amount of money for food, and arranges free, temporary shelter in someone’s home for the most vulnerable. The Fund has helped young women, pregnant women, the elderly and those with mental health problems.

Positive Action in Housing now gives out £2,000 a month in hardship funds raised from donations to destitute asylum seekers and their families. My goal is to raise £24,000 – a year’s worth of money.

This money will help people who have nothing else, and hopefully turn things around with the support of good legal advice and practical support.

With your help and donations PAIH could help other frightened families across Scotland to argue their case as refugees and be granted asylum.

Tags: fundraising, homeless

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 9:42 am and is filed under Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.