Glasgow Night Shelter for
Destitute Asylum Seekers has been providing a vital front-line
service for destitute asylum seekers and other migrants in Glasgow
for the last two years. From 8pm to 8am, every night, our
volunteers provide somewhere warm and safe for migrants, who, because
they’re prohibited from working or claiming any benefits, have been
refused access to normal homeless services in the city.
With the
winter holiday season upon us the night shelter needs extra help to
cover our volunteer rota as well as during the day on Christmas Day,
Boxing Day and New Year’s Day when we’ll be running a special,
holiday, drop in so the men staying at the shelter have somewhere to
come to during the daytime when everything else is shut.
We’re
also appealing for warm clothes, especially thermal vests and
long-johns, boxer shorts, shoes, coats, hats, scarves and gloves.
Please support the Glasgow Night Shelter for Destitute Asylum
Seekers!
1.Donate your time:
We need volunteers to
cover gaps in the rota over the holiday period while other volunteers
are away and we especially need help during the day on the 25^th and
26^th December and on 1st January from 10am – 7pm at the special
holiday drop in. If you wish to volunteer ring
07929852264 or
email
glasgownightshelter@gmail.com
mailto:
glasgownightshelter@gmail.com
2.Donate
some clothing or food:
Many of the men staying at the shelter
need warm clothing. If you can, please buy some new thermal underwear
or boxer shorts or warm socks next time you go shopping. And we are
also asking for warm, waterproof coats, hats and gloves and good
shoes if you have any that you can donate. Or donate some food –
our weekly shopping bill is huge! Tins of tomatoes, kidney beans,
tuna, sweetcorn or chickpeas, or bags of lentils or rice or fresh
vegetables such as onions, peppers or potatoes or fresh fruit are
always welcome! But perhaps you may also wish to donate something
special for the winter holiday period?
Clothing and food can be
donated via The Unity Centre, 30 Ibrox Street, Glasgow G51 1AQ which
is open Mondays to Fridays from 10.30 to 6pm or at one of the Unity
in the Community charity shops located at either 371 Paisley Road
West G51 1LX or 70 Shaw Street, G51 3BL which are open Mondays to
Saturdays from 11am – 5.30pm.
3.Donate financially:
Every
month we need to pay utility bills and for food. Your financial
support will help go towards the running costs of the shelter as well
as enable us to give out small amounts of cash to help the men
staying at the shelter with bus passes, etc. To donate financially
you can send a cheque made out to the “Glasgow Destitute Asylum
Seeker Night Drop In” to the Glasgow Night Shelter c/o The Unity
Centre, 30 Ibrox Street, Glasgow G51 1AQ or directly at any Lloyds
TSB branch, by paying your donation into Account Number:
75140563,
Sort Code: 87-37-51.
More information about the night
shelter:
With their insecure immigration status many destitute
asylum seekers shy away from charities and agencies in case they get
into trouble with the authorities. Support for this group of people
is very restricted as they are not allowed any recourse to public
funds and many charities offer only limited support. Two years
ago, some members of the Glasgow Destitution Network set up a
temporary winter shelter for destitute asylum seekers. During this
project, the charity, Unity in the Community, set up by the Unity
Centre, took on responsibility for running the shelter for three
nights a week. The night shelter had such a positive impact on the
lives of the people staying at it that it was decided to make it a
permanent project based in a church hall in the west end of the
city.
Since then the night shelter has provided a safe, warm,
welcoming, space for destitute asylums seekers to stay overnight
where they can get a hot meal, and can feel secure. During that time
over 100 people have volunteered at the shelter either spending a few
hours in the evening talking with the men staying there helping them
with any problems they may have or staying overnight in the shelter
helping prepare the evening meal or getting everything cleared up and
packed away in the morning.
The night shelter now hosts up to 15
men a night and we aim to open a separate women’s shelter in the
New Year. The accommodation is pretty basic. Each man is issued with
a sleeping bag, pillow, duvet and camping mattress. They sleep on the
floor of a gym in the church hall. During the evening while they wait
for the meal to be prepared, the men staying at the shelter sit,
talk, play games and watch DVDs in the shelter’s TV room.
The Glasgow Night Shelter for Destitute Asylum Seekers was set up by
some members of the Glasgow Destitution Network and is now a
completely independent organisation in its own right, separate from
the Glasgow Destitution Network and we aim to secure charitable
status in the very
near future.
To contact the Glasgow Night
Shelter for Destitute Asylum Seekers please contact the co-ordinator
on 07929852264 or email
glasgownightshelter@gmail.com
mailto:
glasgownightshelter@gmail.com
