About us

Positive Action in Housing is an independent, anti-racist homelessness and human rights charity (SC027577) dedicated to supporting children, women, and men from refugee and immigrant backgrounds to rebuild their lives. We believe in a society where everyone has the right to live safe and dignified lives, free from poverty, homelessness, or inequality.

By empowering people with information, advice, and targeted practical support, we help individuals achieve independence and dignity.
Through proactive casework, we challenge unjust decisions and systems that unfairly disadvantage those we serve, ensuring they are treated with respect and humanity.

What We Do

We assist refugees seeking sanctuary from war and persecution to overcome crises, such as the denial of basic human rights, including access to refuge, shelter, the right to work, or the ability to hold a bank account. By stepping in during these critical moments, we help them navigate and challenge the systemic barriers that make rebuilding their lives so difficult.

We provide practical advice and representation to:
    •    Asylum seekers living in substandard accommodation provided by Home Office asylum housing providers, helping them access fair treatment and safe living conditions.
    •    New refugees facing eviction due to the 56-day rule, which unfairly leaves many at risk of homelessness just as they begin to rebuild their lives.

We offer free, multilingual advice, information, and representation on housing and homelessness issues, ensuring that our clients are supported every step of the way.

Through our Emergency Relief Fund, we deliver immediate, life-saving support to the most vulnerable among our beneficiaries. This includes refugee children and families, older people, new and expectant mothers, the sick and disabled, and survivors of trauma. Our fund ensures no one is left to face crisis alone.

Our pioneering Room for Refugees network arranges safe shelter with volunteer hosts for those at risk of destitution. By opening their homes, our hosts provide not only shelter but also a sense of stability, community, and hope.

We empower individuals to know their housing, employment, and legal rights, enabling them to resettle and stabilise their lives. This includes:
    •    Supporting people from ethnic minority communities to overcome poor housing conditions or challenge unfair homelessness decisions.
    •    Advising survivors of racist hate crimes seeking relocation to safer housing, ensuring their safety and peace of mind.

We offer signposting, proactive casework, and emergency humanitarian support to help refugees and asylum seekers rebuild their lives and achieve self-reliance. Our approach is centred on compassion, practicality, and respect for human rights.

We also provide welfare advice and financial inclusion training, helping refugees and migrants navigate complex systems, manage their finances, and build confidence to thrive in their new communities.

We lead the way in human rights campaigns and humanitarian appeals, giving a voice to those silenced by systemic injustices. We actively challenge anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiment, fight for the closure of indefinite detention centres, and campaign for the fair treatment of displaced families and individuals.

Our commitment goes beyond individual support. In all areas of our work, we use our expertise to push for meaningful policy change, addressing the root causes of inequality and injustice.

We believe in a world where everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, is treated with fairness, respect, and dignity.
 

We will help in all these ways until we have a society that treats everyone fairly, respects people’s human rights and leaves no one destitute.

Robina Qureshi, CEO

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