In Scotland and the UK, as well as throughout Europe, there is a steady flow of immigrants that enter the country, seeking asylum. These people leave their home countries due to persecutions, wars, opposing religious beliefs or sexual orientation and because they cannot get help from local authorities. The manner in which their cases of asylum are reviewed is dictated by the Home Office. The Home Office describes itself as being responsible for the safety of UK’s citizens and the security of the whole country, being “at the front lines of this endeavour since 1782”. (www.gov.uk) Besides their responsibility over the general security, The Home Office is the body that evaluates applications for asylum and decide who becomes a legal refugee. From the immigrants’ point of view, this process is arduous and intimidating. Most of them do not speak English, therefore they have difficulties completing all the forms required for them to be able to make their case. Volunteer organisations, such as The Unity Centre in Glasgow, provide guidance for as many people as they can, but their resources are limited. The process of obtaining the refugee status can take a long time. The Home Office guarantees a response in maximum 6 months, but there are a lot of cases where people have been waiting for years for a decision. One of the biggest challenges, according to the volunteers - some of whom have encountered this process seeking asylum themselves, is housing. Asylum seekers have no guarantee of a roof over their head during the application evaluation process. According to the British Red Cross, there are currently 9000 destitute asylum seekers in the UK. They can be moved from one place to another without notice in advance, or forcibly evicted if their case is rejected. The solution proposed by The Home Office is the development of a

Fast-Track Deportation Centre in Paisley, which ensures the detention of asylum seekers while their cases are being evaluated. These places function as prisons for people that, ironically, have fled persecution. Our counter-proposal is based on the concept of integration rather than isolation and exclusion before approval or refusal of status. We are looking at providing emergency accommodation, especially for the most vulnerable of asylum seekers, who are in desperate need of it, such as: destitute families with children, orphan children, homeless women or homeless pregnant women. People that fled their countries to protect their families and want to be integrated within a whole new society should not have to face destitution and deportation. Their decision was not an easy one to make. Nobody leaves their whole life behind with ease. More often than not, the media portrays them as weak, scared and pitiful. We believe they are strong, brave and dignified.