Thousands of asylum seeking families are believed to have been left without any money for food or essential purchases for over a week because of a shambolic changeover of debit cards.
Complaints have flooded in to Positive Action in Housing – and NGOs across the U.K. – since May 24, when the Home Office began a new contract with a company called PrePaid Financial Services.
By late Thursday afternoon, our Homelessness Casework Team in Glasgow had received over 250 calls, visits and messages from worried families in Glasgow, and more than 100 elsewhere in the U.K., asking for help with money for food because of the Aspen Card Switch.
Asylum seekers were told to expect their new cards to begin working on Monday 24 May. Families were advised to stock up on food until then.
By Monday, cards were not activating correctly, or had not arrived in the post. There was a limit on cash withdrawals or there was nothing on the card. One woman reported that her card was declined at the shops, with a message advising she should “contact her bank”, even though she did not have a bank account (asylum seekers are not allowed to).
Several people reported that their card could not be activated because it would not accept their dates of birth. A man reported having gone to the ATM and found there was a limit on cash withdrawals.
The MigrantHelp “helpline” was virtually blocked due to the numbers seeking help, with people reporting delays of between 1 and 2 hours waiting, or lines going dead. In some cases people say they were told to contact other organisations or call back later.
According to The Guardian, the Home Office has acknowledged “teething problems”. The government agency claims that asylum seekers do not need to go hungry if their cards aren’t working because “a system of emergency payments is available”. It also claims that it “provided clear advice to asylum seekers” and claims those who have issues “are able to contact the 24/7 Migrant Help helpline.”
What are we doing?
- Positive Action in Housing is running an emergency service throughout the Bank Holiday period to ensure families in Glasgow have access to food and essentials.
- We have begun distributing emergency grants and food vouchers to 200 households in Glasgow, identified as vulnerable , and an additional £4,000 of emergency food vouchers.
- Our caseworkers have begun triaging emergency cases and contacting the Home Office and MigrantHelp on behalf of families to request working Aspen Cards with credit on them.
- We have mobilised our Humans of Glasgow Volunteer network to deliver Emergency Food Packs.
CALL TO ACTION
- Write to your MP in your own words (using any of the text above) and also to the Home Secretary, and express your concerns and ask why they did not test the system to avoid a full scale crisis
- Remember to copy your correspondence to home@positiveactionh.org. (Our detailed statement and full contact details for the Home Secretary can be found here).
- Donate via CAF, JustGiving or PayPal Giving. Alternatively, post a cheque to: Positive Action in Housing, 98 West George St Glasgow G2 1PJ. For other ways to give, visit our donate page. Companies can ask us to invoice them by emailing us.
- Look out for updates on our blog.
- Check social media for updates on this story. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
- Sign up for updates
- Use the hashtag #AspenCardScandal and tag @positiveactionh in social media to highlight the scandal.