BEACON Reg. Charity Number 1119463
Bradford Ecumenical Asylum Concern Hosting
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“Without sufficient hard evidence of the persecution he had suffered, the Home Office did not believe his story and refused his claim for asylum”
F
awaz’, fled his homeland in Syria in 2009, leaving behind his family and all his possessions. He is a member of the Kurdish minority in Syria who have long faced routine discrimination and harassment by the government. Following the implementation of a law targeting Kurds in the northeast of the country, Fawaz took part in demonstrations, which were brutally broken up by police and soldiers. Many were arrested, including women and people with disabilities. Once the leader of his political party was arrested, Fawaz believed that his life was in real danger. With the help of his family he managed to raise funds to flee Syria and found his way to the UK to claim asylum. His problems did not end here though. Without sufficient hard evidence of the persecution he had
suffered, the Home Office did not believe his story and refused his claim for asylum - with no right of appeal. He was kicked out of his Home Office supported housing and lost the £35 week he had been
“his only option was to become one of the UK’s many destitute asylum seekers, forced to sleep on friends’ floors and sofas.” receiving; like all asylum seekers he was not allowed to work. Knowing that arrest and worse faced him if he returned to Syria, his only option was to become one of the UK’s many destitute asylum seekers, forced to sleep on friends’ floors and sofas. Research carried out during summer 2012 on behalf of Destitution Concern Bradford found
66 such destitute asylum seekers in the city, including ten children. Read it at: www.destitutionconcernbradford.org/
our sons if our positions were reversed. Our lives were enriched in many ways by his sharing this period of his life with us.”
Fortunately for Fawaz, BEACON’s Hosting Project (www.beaconbradford.org/Hosting) found him a home with volunteer hosts Steve and Margaret White in Allerton. With this period of stability plus help from local support agencies, he gathered further evidence and mounted a fresh asylum claim. This in turn was turned down by the Home Office but, due to the determination of his solicitor who found serious errors in their judgement, the decision was eventually overturned and he was awarded refugee status in March of last year. Steve says: “In the months he spent with us we grew to know him very well and he has continued to keep in touch with us since. We did no more for him than we would hope someone would do for one of
BEACON’s Hosting Project always needs more volunteer hosts like Steve and Margaret. Support is provided by project coordinator Will Sutcliffe and a small payment is available towards hosts’ expenses. Amazingly, hosts come back again and again to help, some having taken six guests in succession since the project began four years ago. Anyone interested in finding out more can contact Will on 07505 053149 or via host.beacon@yahoo.com. Pseudonym used