Sayeda
Sayeda moved to the UK in 2019 to join her husband. Unfortunately, soon after she arrived he started abusing her. It got so bad that when Sayeda had to choose between staying with him or facing the streets at the peak of a pandemic, she chose the streets.
Sayeda didn’t know anyone in London, and when she escaped everything was shut because of lockdown. She tried to ask for help, but everyone turned her away – even her local council. No one took the time to speak with her, to give her the support she had a right to and that she desperately needed. She was left with nowhere to go. And although she didn’t know it yet, Sayeda was pregnant.
“Every day I thank God I met Praxis in my life.”
Thankfully, she found her way to Praxis.
As soon as she came to us, we knew that we had to act fast. Our legal team immediately started to work to make sure Sayeda could access support independently from her abuser, and that she could get the documents she needed so that no one would turn her away again in the future. While our legal team worked to secure the support Sayeda needed to get back on her feet, we made sure she had somewhere safe to stay – first in a refuge, and then in our housing project.
Coming to Praxis and moving into our house was a turning point for Sayeda.
It took a few months of relentless work, but in the end we secured access to mainstream, safe housing for Sayeda and her baby girl, Ruli.
Sayeda has faced so many challenges in 2020 - moving to a new country, escaping her abuser, having a baby and finding somewhere safe to live – all in the midst of a pandemic. Now she is building a new life for herself and her baby. Her biggest hope is for Ruli to grow up in safety.
Chaneti
Born in Jamaica, Chaneti was left with a guardian in the UK when she was three years old and grew up with England as her home. At nineteen, after attending school in the UK her whole life, Chaneti was very excited to apply for university. But when she applied, she found out she did not have valid leave to remain in the UK. This meant that she could not access higher education. It also meant that when she left school she would be locked out of all normal support - including job seekers’ support, healthcare and housing.
“Thanks to Praxis I regained my freedom and a sense of belonging in the UK.”
Luckily, Chaneti found Praxis. Neither Chaneti nor her guardian could afford to pay the £2,052 for the Home Office visa application fee. Praxis assisted her to apply for a Home Office fee waiver, which was wrongly refused by the Home Office. Praxis worked with a law firm and successfully challenged this decision through a Judicial Review, enabling Praxis and Chaneti to submit an application for her leave to remain.
Gaining permission to stay in the UK was so important to Chaneti - because it would enable her to access student finance and higher education. After a few months we were pleased to receive notification that the request had been granted by the Home Office. Chaneti is now able build her life – she can stay in the UK- which has always been her home - indefinitely, access the support she needs and to go to university.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah had been living in the UK for 16 years when Covid19 hit and he lost his job. Ha and his family went several months without any source of income, unable to access public support because of the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ condition attached to their visa.
Throughout this crisis, people with No Recourse to Public Funds like Jeremiah have not been supported through the government’s Covid19 safety net, despite promises from the government that no one would be left behind.
Yet they have been severely affected by its consequences. Praxis has supported hundreds of people who had to choose between their and the public’s health and being able to feed and safely house their families.
Yet they have been severely affected by its consequences. Praxis has supported hundreds of people who had to choose between their and the public’s health and being able to feed and safely house their families.
“I cannot afford to pay rent, I cannot afford to pay council tax, everyone is chasing me for bills from left and right...myself and my partner have to eat once a day and the kids are wondering why we are doing that?”
Jeremiah, his wife and their three children are among them. For months they had to rely on charities to feed their children, often going hungry while debt was mounting.
“Every day we see people like Jeremiah who are pushed into abject destitution because of unfair policies like No Recourse to Public Funds. If it was hard to survive before Covid19 and the economic recession hit the UK, now that thousands of jobs are disappearing it is almost impossible.”
At Praxis we support people like Jeremiah to prepare the complex application that will allow them to access public support when they’re facing destitution; to access essentials as well as specialist services; and to reduce isolation through our campaigning and peer support groups.