Help my 66 year old Father stay off the streets!
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My father is a South African citizen who has been a resident in the UK since 1980 when he came to the UK as a political exile from the Apartheid regime at the age of 25. He had been a journalist and political activist and his life was in danger. He has had indefinite leave to remain here since he got married in 1990 but he and my mother separated in 2004. In the past few years he has had a particularly bad run of poor health. He had an appendectomy which went very wrong and has suffered complications from that ever since. He has also suffered 2 heart attacks and has kidney problems. Following a stay in hospital last year as a result of a heart attack, he found himself unable to work and ultimately ran into arrears with his rent and became homeless. My father is a proud man and spent a year on the streets sleeping rough because he did not want to burden anyone and ultimately hid his situation from me and my mother who he remains friends with.
During COVID-19 he was able to access hostel accommodation, but the proximity to people with serious substance addictions and violent outbreaks frightened him and led him back to the street as he felt more unsafe in the hostel.
While sleeping on the streets he had his bag stolen, leaving him with no identification or evidence of his leave to remain. The Home Office apparently has no record of him, despite him having a national insurance number, marriage certificate, medical records etc. These issues combined have prevented him being able to access a pension or universal credit. Over the past few months we have managed to get him into a flat where he is safe and able to shield himself, this has been down to the support of a small charity who have kindly covered his rent, but they are no longer able to do this.
As a result, we are now applying for him to receive residency through the Windrush Scheme so he can access support from the Department for Welfare and Pensions. After putting into the tax pot for decades, the system has failed him when he has needed it most. I am asking for your support to help cover his rent, bills and food over the next few months until we can prove that he has the right to be here, claim his pension and receive some support from the state. I am a student without the funds to support my Dad. My Mum has been helping out with living costs, clothing etc but can't afford to do more than that.
I am extremely worried about seeing my Dad lose his current accommodation. He is 66 years old and has a range of health conditions that, coupled with the risk of Coronavirus, make a return to sleeping on the streets particularly dangerous. This is extremely time sensitive and any support you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
Here you can find a link to an article my Dad has written, for the charity who supported him, about his experience of homelessness: http://www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/?s=Mab
During COVID-19 he was able to access hostel accommodation, but the proximity to people with serious substance addictions and violent outbreaks frightened him and led him back to the street as he felt more unsafe in the hostel.
While sleeping on the streets he had his bag stolen, leaving him with no identification or evidence of his leave to remain. The Home Office apparently has no record of him, despite him having a national insurance number, marriage certificate, medical records etc. These issues combined have prevented him being able to access a pension or universal credit. Over the past few months we have managed to get him into a flat where he is safe and able to shield himself, this has been down to the support of a small charity who have kindly covered his rent, but they are no longer able to do this.
As a result, we are now applying for him to receive residency through the Windrush Scheme so he can access support from the Department for Welfare and Pensions. After putting into the tax pot for decades, the system has failed him when he has needed it most. I am asking for your support to help cover his rent, bills and food over the next few months until we can prove that he has the right to be here, claim his pension and receive some support from the state. I am a student without the funds to support my Dad. My Mum has been helping out with living costs, clothing etc but can't afford to do more than that.
I am extremely worried about seeing my Dad lose his current accommodation. He is 66 years old and has a range of health conditions that, coupled with the risk of Coronavirus, make a return to sleeping on the streets particularly dangerous. This is extremely time sensitive and any support you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
Here you can find a link to an article my Dad has written, for the charity who supported him, about his experience of homelessness: http://www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/?s=Mab
Organizer
Joseph Tema
Organizer
England
