FREEDOM PASS TO CONNECTION
Help us connect people seeking asylum to their support networks and communities through free public transport
People seeking asylum in the UK live on as little as £9.95 per week
The low weekly allowance provided to people seeking asylum makes it impossible for them to afford travel to even the most essential of services, such as their GP or lawyer, without having to sacrifice other essential needs such as buying food.
This must change!
Currently, there are no automatic free transport passes in England and Wales for people seeking asylum. This means that most people seeking asylum are stuck at their hotel or NASS accommodation, completely isolated from the world around them, for years at a time as
they await an outcome to their case.
WHAT ARE OUR MAIN CONCERNS?
Isolation
When somebody seeks asylum in the UK they can apply for Home Office housing, which is normally in a hotel or shared houses provided by NASS. One of the many difficulties with this is that they have no choice as to where they are relocated to and can be moved again at any time. This makes it near impossible for people to form meaningful connections, access support networks and settle in their community – especially when they are placed in rural areas with little access to support services. This is more pronounced for LGBTIQ+ people seeking asylum.
By not being able to access public transport regularly, people are often left isolated in rural areas which then leads to decline in their mental health and wellbeing.
Lack of access to essential services
The importance of being able to reach friends and support networks cannot be understated, however the issue of public transport can also become a barrier to accessing essential services such as healthcare, solicitors, counsellors, education and much more.
Sadly, one of our own service users, named Chris*, has his own experiences with this hugely impactful problem. Chris is currently dealing with several health issues, including bodily trauma inflicted upon him by human traffickers before arriving in the UK and tuberculosis. Despite the severity of his healthcare needs, he has been unable to attend several of his treatment appointments as he could not afford the transport to the hospital. We strongly feel that this is a miscarriage of justice.
*name has been changed for anonymity purposes
Loss of dignity
Having the ability to move freely is a legitimate human right as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). By withholding people seeking asylum’s access to public transport, through either low personal allowances or the lack of a right to work and earn a suitable wage, we strongly feel that this right is being ignored and curtailed in the UK.
To be able to reach friends, access support services and visit new places gives us a sense of freedom and autonomy in our own lives. By trapping people in a place that has been designated to you, without any resources to leave or move around; the UK asylum system is stripping people seeking asylum of their human dignity and essentially leaving them detached from all the resources that any human being needs to live a fulfilled life.
Download our Campaign Policy Brief
Check out our video interviews
ACT NOW!
WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL TRANSPORT AUTHORITY
If you want to help us make a change for people seeking asylum, you can support by sending an email or letter to your local transport authority or your local MP. You can use the template attached below as a guide.
- If you are unsure how to get in touch with your local council, you can search for your local authority by clicking here.
- If you need help finding out who your local MP might be, try clicking here to search in your local area.
DONATE NOW!
We do what we can as a small charity to support our service users with their transport expenses to our Monthly Meetings and other events. Currently, we offer a £5-6 reimbursement to any service users to that join us, this is difficult to maintain as the demand for our support continues to grow.
Please support us to continue offering these reimbursements, along with all of our other services, by donating today!
98% of our service users, following our research into this issue, have missed one or more of our monthly social events due to the cost of public transport