Articles - Miscellaneous

Destitution and Us

Destitution? Disease? Here in Leeds? Now? Yes. The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust has recently underwritten a Commission chaired by Kate Adie to research a report on destitution among refused asylum seekers in our city.

I was at the presentation of this report on May 8th, wearing my PAFRAS hat, for I volunteer at the Drop In Centre at St Aidan's on Thursday morning (see me if you are interested in helping).

Kate Adie was impressive as you would expect. The solution to the problem of destitution among traumatized, lonely and often sick men and women is, she reminded us, to give them licence to work. The system set up to process asylum applications by the government is deeply flawed and simply doesn't deliver. Many of the refused asylum seekers are skilled, some are professional. Government policy has been based on the hope that if they are treated badly enough they will opt to return home. For a variety of reasons this doesn't happen and having all statutory help withdrawn on the refusal of asylum they "disappear" - to sleep rough or on a friend's floor, to become dependent on charity, to feed poorly and become mentally or physically sick, to despair and even to suicide.

But Kate Adie is a realist and she knows that if government policy is to change appeal must be made to our enlightened self interest. Given licence to work (and employers are agreed that there is a serious shortage of "unskilled" workers in this country) the men and women as earners would pay tax. Improved diet and accommodation would lead to improved community health and they could contribute positively to the emergence of a cohesive society happy with itself.

The folk I talk with on Thursday mornings are remarkable - many have good English. Their stories are horrifying but inspiring although some are too depressed to talk. We offer good, hot, healthy meals but some are so deeply troubled that have no appetite…

This is Leeds, a wealthy city in the 4th or is it 5th wealthiest country in the world. We should be and I am deeply, deeply ashamed so I go and play dominoes on Thursday - or chat. Coming?

Pat Hooker

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay