21/06/2013
Asylum seekers who are entitled to hard-case
support receive an Azure card of just over £35 per week which is meant to cover
all food, toiletries, clothing, travel and other daily essentials. The card is
only redeemable in certain named shops for a restricted range of items. 'Solange' from the
Democratic Republic of Congo speaks about her experience of this system and how
it makes her and others she knows feel.
Some people, they are
getting voucher, there are different voucher… They come from the government,
they give asylum seekers vouchers or pre-payment money cards to survive. Maybe there is something
you want to buy, but you can’t buy because you have voucher. Even in the
supermarket, there are something you can buy and something not e.g. you can buy
food, but not mobile phone top-up. Maybe you don’t want food, you might want
some cream from the chemist or clothes. In the supermarket there are clothes,
but you might want to go to another shop, but you can’t because you can’t use
the voucher. You can only go to the supermarket, and not all the supermarkets
are selling clothes, not the one in your area, to go to another supermarket you
have to take transport. Something you need you can’t find it.
I think they (the
refugees) are not feeling good, it is a stress, if you use a voucher everywhere
you feel better, if you can just use it. It is a different culture here, maybe
you want to buy food in the African shops or Asian shops. At the check out, many
people don’t know what (the card) is, they say wait, they call the manager, if
the manager come, they check the list. Some people feel ashamed because when
they bring the card. In the queue, they are feeling shame and stress, the other
people in the queue are waiting and everyone starts looking, what is her
situation?
Why don’t they just give
them money? Why is it different? They can’t use it. Maybe it is better to give
people something they want, or give them a voucher that they can use
everywhere. It is not easy to manage.
If they found jobs for asylum seekers it would be better. Some people would
like to work but don’t have papers to work, it is better for someone to work,
it is better. It is a good way to help government for the economy, paying tax…
not giving money it gives nothing… it is better to give work
than give money. If you (are in) a good condition, you can work, some people
they have a problem with language, but you can work, some jobs you don’t need
to speak.
Their life is not easy. I
don’t know what to say about that, (asylum seekers) get nothing, no papers, no
work, no benefit, many people they are getting stressed, getting heart attack.
And some people become thief in the shop to get food, and then they get caught
and put in prison. Some friends are helping them, some charity are helping
them, but I don’t know how so say it, it is not a good life. If you don’t have
a strong heart, you can do bad things, because you don’t have nothing, there
are too many problems. It is not easy. You had a problem back home, and you
think if you come here, you will have peace and then you have another problem!
