Winter Crisis Appeal
Our Winter Crisis Appeal is raising vital funds to provide humanitarian aid to refugee and asylum-seeking families and individuals — including torture survivors and those fleeing wars and persecution — who are facing destitution and homelessness across Scotland this winter.
During the freezing winter period, our homelessness team will identify up to 500 vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers across Glasgow, Aberdeen, Perth, and other Scottish cities where people have been dispersed with few clothes or possessions.
In the lead-up to Christmas, we are providing crisis grants for food, baby items, warm clothing, phone data, bus travel, and vital digital technology to help people stay connected. We are also assisting refugee families to find safe, stable hosted accommodation through our Room for Refugees Hosting Network.
We are triaging those who are worst affected: the elderly, sick, pregnant women and families with children.
Around 5% of donations received will reach the most urgent cases identified in London and Brighton by some of our refugee referral partners, including: Migrants Organise, Praxis, RAMFEL, Refugee Action, Room to Heal, South London Refugee Association, and The Hummingbird Refugee Project.
In addition, our Lifeline Service will reach those needing proactive advice, information and breathing space to rebuild their lives. Our approach has produced life-transforming outcomes.
100% of all donations will directly assist those who have fled war and persecution in their own countries, leaving behind loved ones, friends and everything they know.
For example, a donation of £100 would provide a new refugee family of four with food, phone data, bus travel and some funds left over for clothes.
Donate Now
Donations are processed securely by the Charities Aid Foundation. Tick Gift Aid to increase the value of your donation at no extra cost.
Why help today?
- The asylum system is causing misery. Many would-be refugees are instead being "fast-tracked into poverty".
- The backlog of people waiting for an initial decision in the UK has reached over 122K, with hundreds waiting over five years.
- Thousands of able, skilled refugees are banned from contributing to the workforce. People must depend on the Home Office and its contractors for housing and support.
- Asylum seekers receive less than £6 daily for all their basic needs. Those in hotels receive only £1.40 a day. Rising food and energy prices have made life more difficult.
- The bureaucratic indifference, delays and unsuitable accommodation have left many with deteriorating mental and physical health.
- The controversial "Rwanda policy" has made people more fearful of the Home Office and its accommodation contractors, for fear it affects their asylum claim
How to Donate
We understand that times are tough for so many right now, and we very much appreciate any donation you can give today.
Your donation would pay for essentials that many of our beneficiaries cannot afford in the lead-up to Christmas, especially this year, as we face the continuing cost-of-living, energy, and homelessness crises.
To make a regular or one-off donation, please:
- Donate via CAF, internet banking, JustGiving or PaypalGiving.
- We can invoice companies and small businesses for your chosen amount. Just email home@positiveactionh.org. We will also send written confirmation of your donation.
- Write a cheque payable to Positive Action in Housing Ltd and post it to Positive Action in Housing, 98 West George Street, Glasgow, G2 1PJ.
- Email home@positiveactionh.org to find other ways to donate or for resources and information about how you and your community can fundraise for us this festive season.
- Bank transfers – e: home@positiveactionh.org
Remember to fill in the gift aid form to add 25% to your donation at no extra cost!
For more ways to donate, please visit this page.
Winter Crisis Appeal 2022
If you have donated to previous appeals, thank you.
Your contribution has helped the people we support to rebuild their lives.
Last year, thanks to our supporters, our Annual Winter Crisis Appeal successfully delivered direct humanitarian support to hundreds of refugee men, women and children who have fled war and persecution, including those from Iran, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, as well as Ukraine - despite the freezing weather, postal and rail strikes.
In 2022-23, we were able to provide winter relief grants totalling £44,540 to 258 vulnerable households.
We provided vouchers for essential food, warm clothes, and small crisis payments for bus travel. We also offered essential digital technology to help people stay connected, and saw the enormous difference even our smallest grants make first-hand – for example, a donation of £20 helped to pay for a phone top-up for a vulnerable family at risk of losing connection.
About us
Positive Action in Housing is an independent homelessness and human rights charity dedicated to supporting people from refugee, migrant, asylum seeking and BME communities to rebuild new lives.
We believe in a society where everyone has the right to live safe and dignified lives, free from poverty, homelessness, or discrimination.
We assist those seeking sanctuary from war and persecution to overcome crisis situations. We enable new migrants to know their housing, welfare, and employment rights. We assist established ethnic minority communities to overcome bad housing. Through proactive casework, we challenge unfair decisions. We offer welfare advice and money skills. We offer advice, crisis grants and shelter to those at risk of destitution. We use our expertise and knowledge of refugee and migrant communities to effect policy change. We provide volunteering and training. We lead human rights campaigns and persistently challenge anti-immigrant and anti-refugee policies. We have been campaigning for BME, refugee and migrant rights since 1995. Each year, we provide casework, representation and emergency crisis support to hundreds of refugees, asylum seekers and certain vulnerable migrants forced to live in a state of extreme impoverishment. In 2022/23, we assisted over 1,800 destitute refugees and asylum seeker families, children, women and men. Since 2002, our pioneering Room for Refugees Programme has sheltered over 4,500 refugees from countries including Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran, Palestine , Ukraine and Yemen.
Visit our website to see our latest annual impact report.
To give suggestions or feedback, email donate@positiveactionh.org.
Can you join us as a volunteer? Then fill in the online form at www.paih.org/volunteer.
100% of your donation will go directly towards helping those in greatest need this winter.