Aref
Aref is seeking asylum here, having fled persecution in Iran. He turned to us when he experienced homelessness because of Home Office delays.
When Aref arrived in Scotland, he mostly stayed with a friend he had met at his church in the West End of Glasgow. When his friend’s family came from Iran to live with him, Aref had to leave and was street homeless when he contacted our Lifeline Service for help. Our Farsi-speaking caseworkers arranged for a crisis grant to pay for food and essentials, alongside a placement with a Room for Refugees host who lived close to Aref’s church.
At the same time, Aref was waiting for the Home Office to approve his Section 95 support application. Two months on, he had still not received a response. Our casework team contacted the Home Office, who advised us that the Home Office had approved the support request, but the letter had not yet reached Aref. Our casework team escalated the matter twice before the Home Office agreed to send an Aspen card. A week later, with no change, we lodged a Pre-Action Protocol against the Home Office. His Aspen card arrived a week later. Four months after his support was approved, Aref finally moved into his Section 95 accommodation.
I had nothing and no way to ask for anything. Without your help, I would still have nothing; I do not know where I would be.