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The Home Office has announced that it plans to cut support for asylum seekers, who already receive only 70% of income support. Refugee Action believe that this is totally unacceptable and discriminates against those seeking sanctuary, who are already among the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.
We are particularly concerned about lone mothers whose support is not going to be increased in line with inflation, meaning that they will face a real reduction in their income.
Yasmin's story
Yasmin (40) and her 13-year-old daughter Sara fled Bangladesh three years ago after Yasmin was beaten and abused by her husband's family and ostracised by the community for changing religion. They live in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and survive on £90 a week.
Yasmin said: "I would love to be able to earn my own living, I hate living on benefits and want to support myself. I have studied book-keeping and would like to work in a bank.
"The money we currently receive is so hard to live on and the pressure to count every penny is a daily struggle. We have often run out of food by the weekend and then we live on bread and butter. My daughter is a teenager now and ashamed that all of her clothes are second-hand and that we can't afford anything."
Please write to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas now, asking him to increase all asylum support in line with inflation, and stop asylum seekers like Yasmin and her daughter being pushed into deeper poverty.
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