Winter Refugee Crisis Appeal
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.
In the lead-up to Christmas, when most services close down, our homelessness team will support over 400 vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers across Glasgow and other Scottish cities where people have been dispersed with few clothes or possessions.
Throughout the year, we provide crisis grants for food, warm clothing, baby milk, nappies, phone data, and essential bus travel to help people stay connected. We also assist refugee families in finding safe, stable, hosted accommodation through our Room for Refugees Hosting Network. Our busiest period is in the lead-up to Christmas when our staff and volunteers work hard to identify the most vulnerable among our service users who could benefit from crisis support for food, clothing and other essentials like phone data and travel costs.
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 by some of our refugee referral partners, including the British Red Cross, Freedom from Torture, Refugee Council, and others.
In addition, our Lifeline Service will reach those who need proactive advice, information, and breathing space to rebuild their lives. This 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.
A donation of £100 would provide a new refugee family of four with fresh food for one week and a little left over for phone data for essential calls with family members, lawyers and health contacts.
Donate Now
The Charities Aid Foundation processes donations securely. You can add 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".
- Thousands of able, skilled refugees are banned from contributing to the workforce. When they can work, pay taxes, and live independently, they are forced to depend on the Home Office and its contractors for housing and support.
- Asylum seekers receive less than £6 daily for all their basic needs, and those in guesthouses receive less £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.
How to Give
We understand that times are tough for many right now, and we would greatly appreciate any donation you can make 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 www.paih.org/donate
In 2023-24, we provided small winter relief grants for food, clothes, phone data and bus travel to almost 400 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 most minor 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, antiracist 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 help established ethnic minority communities to overcome inadequate 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 poverty. 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.
Since 2002, our pioneering Room for Refugees Programme has sheltered over 5,000 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.