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We know that Asylum Seekers face the matter of whether or not their Asylum Claim pulls through. However, not many people know who helps the Asylum Seekers through this time, and for that matter, who helps them if they are allowed to stay.

The asylum seekers can take refuge in an Asylum Link that has people from the community of the area they now live in volunteering to help out by providing clothes, food, beds (e.g. mattresses) and toys for children.

There is an Asylum Link in Liverpool and this was featured in the first “Secret Millionaire” (C4) that showed some of the people that help out at the Asylum Link and generously give belongings that they no longer need. The moving documentary highlighted the needs of an average asylum seeker in Kensington of Liverpool. This area is one of the poorest in Britain and the program rightly displayed this. The philanthropist, a person donating money to charities with the intention of kindness to others, in this particular program was named John Elliott and he pointed out at the beginning of the program that he had a negative viewpoint about asylum seekers. The program showed that he was housed in an asylum seekers temporary accommodation block so that he could experience the life of an average asylum seeker on a temporary basis.
The flat he stayed in was a miserable 10°C with John finding saving the running cost of electricity essential and a practical solution of this was wearing a coat whilst cooking. A simple ten minute bus ride to the city centre seemed like a whole world away from Kensington. After a relaxing cup of coffee and piece of cake, John realized that both his daily funds were spent and he was witnessing poverty in twenty first century Britain.
John was worried however, that if he supported the asylum link then he would be giving the asylum seekers expectations of false hope. He recognised that the asylum seekers had no real future and no real hope.

With no heating in the flat, John was forced to dry his washing in the launderette. His day was spent folding second hand, donated clothes; and John realised that this was a place he wished to give money to. John revealed to Liverpool’s Asylum Link that he runs a successful business and wanted to donate £7500. The news brought happy tears to the management of asylum link. “That’s fantastic,” exclaimed one; “Oh my goodness,” expressed another. John had realized that he had been misled like many others by the mass media, falling for the stereotypical view of asylum seekers. He correctly pointed out that giving thousands of pounds to people who don’t expect it is different to giving to a charity who do expect it. After exchanging the vouchers that as a ‘trainee asylum seeker’ he received, his time was over at asylum link. He had made a group of down heartened people very, very happy.