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Below are case studies of clients who used the Advice Service and the help we were able to give them. Case study of Mr A Mr A is a West African man in his late 60s. He first approached AFRIL in April 2009. At that time he was homeless and sleeping on a bench in a park. He had an outstanding claim for Leave to Remain with the Home Office and no access to public funds, such as benefits and housing. He was not allowed to work in the UK. AFRIL helped get Mr A voluntary cash grants and regularly provided him with food and warm clothes. We also made several attempts to get Social Services to provide Mr A with accommodation and subsistence money. However, Social Services consistently denied responsibility. In September, Mr A had a stroke and was admitted to hospital. The hospital kept him as an inpatient because he had nowhere else to go. Because of his increased care needs, with the help of a solicitor AFRIL was able to make Social Services take responsibility for Mr A. They provided accommodation and money for him. During his time in hospital, the Home Office granted Mr A Discretionary Leave to Remain giving him access to public funds. AFRIL helped Mr A apply for the guaranteed rate of Pension Credit and get a National Insurance number. We will continue to work with Mr A to help him apply for sheltered housing and move from temporary accommodation to somewhere permanent. Ms B’s Story Ms. B is a South American woman in her fifties. She arrived in the UK after escaping a violent partner in her home country. AFRIL helped her access counselling for domestic violence, provided her with a bed, warm clothes and food parcels and referred her for free optometry care. We also located an immigration solicitor able to help her regularise her stay in the UK. Ms X’s Story Ms X is a refused asylum seeker from East Africa. In March 2009, she was six months pregnant. Her partner had Indefinite leave to remain in the UK and was claiming Housing Benefit. He was being housed in emergency accommodation, and Ms. X was staying there. Because of her immigration status, the council did not have a duty to house her. As a single man he was not considered a high priority and was asked to leave the accommodation. Ms X approached AFRIL for help. AFRIL requested that the council extend the provision of emergency accommodation until the birth of the baby. We also applied for asylum support from the UK Border Agency on behalf of her, which was granted. However, she decided not to take this up because the support was offered on the condition that she leaves London, which she did not want to do. AFRIL worked with a housing solicitor to appeal the council’s decision to evict Ms X’s partner from his emergency accommodation. The appeal was successful and in May 2009, Ms X gave birth and the family was moved into temporary accommodation. They are currently applying for benefits and a community care grant. Ms Y’s Story Ms Y is from Central America has Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. She shares her house with two adult children and her daughter’s husband, but was responsible for the entire cost of the rent. The monthly rent was £1320, on top of which she was paying Council Tax. She was claiming no benefits and was doing casual work amounting to 12 hours a week. AFRIL provided advice on her options advising Ms Y to claim benefits of nearly £800 a month. Case studies from 2009 Q4 Case study 1:Mr A is from East Africa. He was referred to AFRIL by a pensioners’ organisation and had just been granted refugee status by the Home Office. Mr A is disabled and for this reason social services supported him during his asylum claim. Because of his new status, social services was withdrawing its support. AFRIL helped Mr A through his transition from asylum seeker to refugee. We helped him apply for benefits, including Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance. We also explained his housing options and helped Mr A make a homelessness application and get on Lewisham’s housing register. Additionally, we arranged for home help from social services. Case study 2:Ms B is from Southeast Asia. She had Indefinite Leave to Remain and had been in a long-term violent and abusive relationship with her husband. He told Ms B she would be arrested and sent back to her country of origin in she left him. He was also extremely controlling and restricted her access to money and often kept her at home. Ms B came to AFRIL after seeing our leaflet in the library. We explained her rights and options and told Ms B what support was available. We helped her to get counselling for domestic violence and separate her benefits from her husband’s into a new bank account. When she felt ready, we helped her to enter a refuge. Case studies from 2009 Q3Case study 1In December 2008 AFRIL advised a Yaso , a Sri Lankan refused asylum seeker in her 50s. Unable to work or access benefits, Yaso had been supported by her nephew since her asylum claim was refused in 2001. Yaso’s nephew could no longer afford to house and support her and she was about to be made destitute. AFRIL helped Yaso collect the evidence she needed to apply for support from the UK Border Agency, including negotiating with her solicitor to provide proof of a fresh claim for asylum and helping her collect evidence of her destitution. We were then able to help Yaso apply for Section 4 support (formerly known as NASS support). The application was successful and Yaso is now in receipt of £35 supermarket vouchers and accommodation provided by UKBA. Yaso was dispersed to the West Midlands by UKBA, and AFRIL was able to refer her to a local Tamil organisation and signpost her to an advice agency so ease this transition. Case study 2Than, a 33 year old Burmese refugee with three children was being charged with overpayments of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Income Support of in excess of £5000. He also had more than six months’ rent areas. When we met than, his household income, supporting 5 people, consisted solely of Child Benefit and Child tax credit. His family was struggling to survive. We appealed successfully against Lewisham Council’s decision to charge than overpayments for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, cancelling over £4000 of debt. We were also able to get these benefits reinstated. There is now an ongoing appeal against the DWP’s decision to claim back Income Support overpayments. Than’s wife suffers from various medical conditions that mean she is incapable of work and requires Than to care for her. AFRIL is helping her access healthcare and in order to obtain a diagnosis of her condition and sufficient treatment. We are continuing to work with Than and his family to maximise their benefits. Case study 3Abena, a Ghanaian woman in her fifties came to AFRIL because she was street homeless, having lost her accommodation after not being able to pay the rent. She came to the UK in 1999 on a 6 month tourist visa. After this expired she applied for Indefinite Leave to Remain as a spouse/cohabiter but having moved around regularly, she had not kept the Home Office informed of her address and was not sure of her current status. Abena’s status would affect her entitlement. If the Home Office had refused her application for leave to remain, she would have no recourse to public funds and as she had never made a claim for asylum, Abena would also not be able to claim support from UKBA. AFRIL wrote to the Home Office to try and determine her status. Abena decided that she wished to return to Ghana, but had no money for a plane ticket. AFRIL helped Abena to fill in an application for Assisted Voluntary Return for Irregular Migrants with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). IOM is now helping with the price of a flight and making the necessary arrangements for Abena to return to Ghana. In the meantime, we applied for a grant of £200 from the Vicar’s Relief Fund to allow Abena to rent a room while the application was processed. This allowed Abena to avoid street homelessness while she arranged to leave the UK. Case study 4Maiba is a 61 year old Zimbabwean woman with British citizenship. She is the legal guardian of her 9 year old great niece Jacoline. Jacoline has enuresis, and wets the bed four or five times a week. Maiba had no washing machine, and had to spend a considerable amount of time soaking sheets and then carrying heavy, wet sheets to the laundrette. Jacoline also has behavioural problems and has a history of breaking her beds, but Maiba could not afford to buy a stronger, reinforced bed capable of withstanding Jacoline’s bahviour. In addition, Maiba suffers from diabetes, but had no fridge in which to keep her medicine or store the fresh food crucial to maintaining her health and controlling her condition. AFRIL helped Maiba apply for a Community Care Grant from the Social Fund for nearly £500, with which she was able to buy a new washing machine, fridge and reinforced bed. Case studies from 2009 Q2Case study 1Ms Z has Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. She shares her house with two adult children and her daughter’s husband, but was responsible for the entire cost of the rent. The monthly rent was £1320, on top of which she was paying Council Tax. She was claiming no benefits, and was doing casual work amounting to about 12 hours a week AFRIL advised her of her options, and helped her to claim Housing Benefit of £780 a month and Council Tax Benefit of £13 a month. Case study 2Ms Y is a South American woman in her fifties. She arrived in the UK after escaping a violent partner in her home country. AFRIL helped her access counselling for domestic violence, provided her with a bed, warm clothes and food parcels and referred her for free optometry care. We also located an immigration solicitor able to help her regularise her stay in the UK. Two months after using our service, Ms Y became concerned that a child she knew was being abused. She came back to AFRIL and we made a referral to social services on her behalf, as Ms Y was afraid of the consequences of reporting the abuser herself. As a result, social services and the police investigated the case and have reached an agreement with the family limiting contact with the abusive party. Case study 3Ms A is a refused asylum seeker from East Africa. We met her in March 2009, when she was six months pregnant. He partner, Mr B had Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK and was claiming Housing Benefit. He was being housed in emergency accommodation, and Ms A was staying with him. Because of Ms A’s immigration status, the council did not have a duty to house her and therefore did not consider her when deciding Mr B’s housing priority. As a single man he was not considered a high priority and was asked to leave the accommodation. AFRIL requested that the council extend the provision of emergency accommodation until the birth of the baby. We also applied for asylum support from the UK Border Agency on behalf of Ms A, which was granted. However, she decided not to take this up because the support was offered on the condition that she leave London, which she did not want to do. AFRIL worked with Mr B’s housing solicitor to appeal the council’s decision to evict him from emergency accommodation. The appeal was successful and in May 2009, Ms A gave birth and family was moved into temporary accommodation. They are currently applying for benefits and a community care grant and AFRIL is helping them appeal a decision to refuse Mr B a Sure Start Maternity Grant.
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