'Guided by its objectives, Astonbrook HA:

Believes that prevention of homelessness and underlying issues is the collective responsibility of our society and that tackling it requires joined up thinking and inter-agency approach.'

Fatma and her family are still in their accommodation: thanks to the messages of solidarity and support and unwelcome publicity, Astonbrook appear to have reconsidered the option of throwing them on the street.

However, while the UK Border Agency (as the Border and Immigration Agency, formerly the National Asylum Support Service has chosen to rebrand itself this week) attempts to sort out the mess its policies have made of these people's lives, the family remains reliant on the handouts of cash-strapped charities.

Fatma called her adcoate this afternoon in tears, as Astonbrook staff had once again arrived to threaten the family with changed locks, eviction and homelessness.

The family's advocate discussed the situation with the Astonbrook employee in question, who gave his name as Raoul. Raoul explained that Astonbrook had received no payment from the Home office since February and now intended to force the houshold onto the street. He confirmed that he had not spoken to anyone at the Home Office's section 4 team- which had yesterday confirmed that the family WAS entitled to accommodation and support, and nor did he intend to. Raoul's advice was that the family should present itself to local authority's social services team- which they have already done, to no avail. Raoul confirmed that he had no interest in making any referral on the family's behlaf, and saw his job merely as effecting their eviction.

However, after some intervention on the part of Indymedia- including the prospect of a camera crew on site to witness Astonbrook's team at work- Raoul and his friends left the family, threatening to return tomorrow morning (Friday) to carry out eviction. Telephone calls have been ongoing between the family's advoctes at ASIRT and Gail Adam's office at the UK Border Agency.

Bewilderingly, the family has received a subsequent telephone call from another UKBA contracted accommodation provider, United Property Management, offering to take them to a new property at an undisclosed location tomorrow. UPM has advised Indymedia that they are not presently able to provide the family with an address, creating further anxiety that the family may actually be, in the parlance, "dispersed" to yet another region of the UK, where they will potentially have no support network. All of which seems far more stressful, complex, expensive and unnecessary than the logical step of the UKBA simply advising Astonbrook to reinstate the family's support!

“Valuing its most vulnerable groups is a cornerstone of a just, equitable civilised society. Therefore, Astonbrook HA will continually endeavour to enhance the quality of service and harness opportunities in ways, which meet the challenges and encapsulate the essence of what supporting people are seeking to achieve.”

By threatening traumatised refugees, changing locks and making babies homeless? Shameful.