Zahra and her family
Zahra and her family, facing grief and imminent eviction in Glasgow, received crucial support from our Housing and Homelessness Team, who successfully appealed to the Home Office and housing association, securing them accommodation near her brother's grave.
At the most distressing times, when people are faced with a complex legal system and bureaucracy they cannot navigate, our Housing and Homelessness Team is there to guide and support them through the maze.
Zahra, her husband and their daughter came from Iran to Glasgow when their son was seriously ill to look after him and be with him. They were staying in his housing association flat when, sadly, he died soon after they arrived. In the grief of their loss, they were also faced with imminent eviction from his flat.
Not knowing where to go or what to do, they came to Positive Action in Housing in October 2023. Their only realistic option was to ask the Home Office for support while their claims for asylum were dealt with, but the Home Office made a no-choice offer outside Glasgow. They were desperate to stay close to their son’s grave and Zahra could not manage long journeys due to her ill-health and we wrote to the Home Office making a compelling case for finding accommodation in Glasgow.
While this process went on we engaged with the Housing Association to withdraw the eviction against the family to spare them stress and expense they had no way of affording. We also provided them with a grant from the Emergency Relief Fund to tide them over while financial support was processed by the Home Office.
They’re now safely housed in Glasgow, close to their son’s grave.