Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
They include asylum seekers, people who have arrived through spouses or students, and people from the European Economic Area who cannot get housing and welfare benefits after Brexit, even if they have lived and worked in the UK since many years.
Of those questioned, 97% were destitute, with an average weekly income of £40. A third reported no income at all in the past month, with two thirds saying they had gone without meals, clothes and toiletries in the past month.
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Homelessness rates were at 93%, with 53% sleeping rough in the last year and 55% in temporary accommodation.
More than two-thirds were not allowed to work, while the 15% who were allowed and were trying to work struggled due to health issues, homelessness and language barriers.
One of the people interviewed was Sofija, a European citizen who has lived in Scotland for nine years, who said she had experienced homelessness on the street and was “constantly scrambling for somewhere to stay”.
Another, Jamal, has been in the UK for 17 years seeking asylum and said: “You can’t work. You can’t work. You can’t support your family. You can’t support your children… it turned [my] upside down relationship.”
Included in the report is a series of urgent recommendations to prevent the crisis from worsening.
The UK Government is encouraged to simplify pathways to settlement, process all claims fairly and quickly and demand, empower and adequately resource local, regional and devolved Governments to provide an immediate basic safety net for all.
While immigration is retained, the Scottish Government is being called upon to “use every devolved stimulus at its disposal, and commit resources to effectively implement its vision to end homelessness and poverty in Scotland” .
Professor Beth Watts-Cobbe, from the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Research into Equalities (I-SPHRE) at Heriot-Watt University, said: “The levels of need, deprivation, disadvantage and trauma experienced by those who are not do they have access to the public. Limited Funds or Eligibility is a humanitarian crisis among a group that is often hidden from public view Many of those affected have been in the UK for years, if not decades, contributing to our communities but left without access to basic support.
“This report shows that this is a very diverse group of people, including those who came to Scotland to seek sanctuary, European nationals who still face challenges as the UK transitions out of Europe and those who arrived to study or with their partner.
“Two thirds of those we spoke to are not allowed to work, hindering their ability to support themselves out of these dire circumstances and suffocating their ability to contribute to the society they so desperately want to make is their home. These hostile and counterproductive environmental policies are affecting thousands of people across Scotland, squeezing their potential and creating deprivation by design. The level of need is alarming but the issue is completely preventable with collective action.
“It’s time to stop passing the buck. We need radical and urgent reforms that prioritize people’s ability to access the basics and live a dignified life. The new UK Government must commit to ending the unnecessary hardship caused by the current immigration policy and change course urgently.
“We are also seeking a commitment from Westminster to support the Scottish Government and other devolved countries in their efforts to ensure that everyone has access to basic necessities regardless of an individual’s immigration status.”
Deborah Hay, Senior Policy Adviser (Scotland) at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “Increasing Fair Way Scotland is now crucial given the growing demand for support, but mitigation programs like this should not be necessary.
“The integrated offer of casework support, legal advice, accommodation and cash support provided by Fair Way Scotland’s partners is transformative, even life-saving, for those who can benefit from it. However, demand far outstrips supply.
“Increasing this response to meet the level of need requires more commitment and investment from a variety of social partners. The Scottish Government, independent funders, local authorities and housing associations must work together to reduce the harm caused by current immigration policy, using every tool at their disposal. Public services and charities, stepping up to tackle appalling state neglect, also face the burden of those preventable and costly policies, and must be fully supported.”
Equality Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “The Scottish Government will continue to raise the impact that the No Entitlement to Public Funds policy is having on the UK Government.
“No one should be pushed into poverty. People who are subject to this policy are members of our communities and we should be able to support them in times of crisis.
“The Scottish Government will continue to do everything it can, within devolved powers, to protect communities and support people.
“We are working to influence the UK Government on changes to the immigration system that meet Scotland’s specific economic and demographic needs, reflecting our values ​​as an open, welcoming nation.”
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/westminster/24583556.hostile-uk-immigration-policies-leave-97-destitute/?ref=rss
