The euphemistically titled 'Celebrating Sanctuary' event during Refugee Week in Birmingham is mostly funded by The Angel Group. The Angel Group is a corporate housing provider contracted by the Home Office's National Asylum Support Service (NASS) to house refugees. The Angel Group fund the week-long event in Birmingham's City centre to the tune of £50,000.
The Angel Groups tent at Celebrating Sanctuary
Burst The Angel Group's bubble and expose the Asylum Profiteers
The Angel Group's far from angelic logo
The corporate service provider euphemistically called 'The Angel Group' are well known amongst refugees, especially those housed and forcibly evicted by them, for housing them in squalid over-crowded conditions, reportedly without gas and electricity. The Angel Group not only house refugees but they also play a pivotal role in the inhumane dispersal of refugees across this country. Their dispersal appears to be dependent upon the cheapest accomodation deals The Angel Group can exploit in Britain.
http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/refugees.html
The Angel Group, according to a local newspaper in Leeds, has recently been investigated by the Home Office because it has housed Refugees in 'squalid conditions...without gas or electricity'.
Here are some sources that give a brief summary of an article in the local Yorkshire press - unfortunately the link to the Yorkshire Evening Post no-longer works.
Willis, P. (2004) ‘Asylum seekers’ ‘squalid’ housing to be investigated’, Yorkshire Evening Post, 2/08/04 available at http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=39&Article!D=832262
http://tinyurl.com/9ryuy
> Leeds Evening Post 3 August 2004
>
> Asylum Seekers Living in Squalid Conditions
>
> The Home Office has begun an investigation into claims that housing
> provider, Angel Group, is letting homes to asylums seekers in Leeds
> without gas or hot water.
There have also been reports of The Angel Group evicting refugees and sub-contracting landlords who have appalling track records with refugees. Sub-letting sub-standard accommodation like this to refugees is a very lucrative business.
The Angel Groups funding of Celebrating Sanctuary is a crude and relatively cheap public relations stunt to absolve them from their role in profiteering from the plight of refugees in this country.
The plethora of 'Angel' branded balloons and t-shirts at the event make it clear that The Angel Group want as much exposure as possible. One could also argue that their sponsorship of the event effectively muzzles any dissent from refugees and ngos about their track record in terms of housing refugees.
Why are The Angel Group being allowed to sponsor this event and can the Celebrating Sanctuary organisers source funding from other groups that don't profit from asylum?
http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/refugees.html The Angel Group, according to a local newspaper in Leeds, has recently been investigated by the Home Office because it has housed Refugees in 'squalid conditions...without gas or electricity'.
Here are some sources that give a brief summary of an article in the local Yorkshire press - unfortunately the link to the Yorkshire Evening Post no-longer works.
Willis, P. (2004) ‘Asylum seekers’ ‘squalid’ housing to be investigated’, Yorkshire Evening Post, 2/08/04 available at
http://www.leedstoday.net/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=39&Article!D=832262 http://tinyurl.com/9ryuy > Leeds Evening Post 3 August 2004
>
> Asylum Seekers Living in Squalid Conditions
>
> The Home Office has begun an investigation into claims that housing
> provider, Angel Group, is letting homes to asylums seekers in Leeds
> without gas or hot water.
There have also been reports of The Angel Group evicting refugees and sub-contracting landlords who have appalling track records with refugees. Sub-letting sub-standard accommodation like this to refugees is a very lucrative business.
The Angel Groups funding of Celebrating Sanctuary is a crude and relatively cheap public relations stunt to absolve them from their role in profiteering from the plight of refugees in this country.
The plethora of 'Angel' branded balloons and t-shirts at the event make it clear that The Angel Group want as much exposure as possible. One could also argue that their sponsorship of the event effectively muzzles any dissent from refugees and ngos about their track record in terms of housing refugees.
Why are The Angel Group being allowed to sponsor this event and can the Celebrating Sanctuary organisers source funding from other groups that don't profit from asylum?
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Mainstream media reports
08.07.2006 20:51
Company made millions through Home Office housing scheme
Owen Bowcott and David Pallister
Wednesday August 3, 2005
The Guardian
It has taken Julia Davey only five years to build up her multimillion-pound property empire. From small beginnings in 1999 - housing single asylum seekers for Kent county council - the assets of the Angel Group at the end of 2003 had, according to the last company report, expanded to nearly £40m.
In that time Ms Davey, 48, has formed 57 other companies. On top of big dividend payments, she awards herself a salary of around £½m. She is the sole director. That is the sort of basic pay expected by the head of one Britain's top plcs.
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Inquiry into firm's asylum contracts
David Pallister and Owen Bowcott
Wednesday August 3, 2005
The Guardian
The Home Office is investigating allegations of financial irregularities by a private property company which earns millions of pounds annually through government contracts for housing asylum seekers around the country.
The investigation, prompted by inquiries by the Guardian, focuses on claims that the London-based Angel Group charged the Home Office and Leeds city council for the same properties.
Company records, internal emails and testimony from former Angel employees also suggest the company was paid for accommodation that was unfit for habitation or for which it had no keys. Records further suggest Angel claimed discounts on council tax to which it was not entitled in Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne.
---------------------------------
Firm accused over asylum seeker homes
Double-letting claim rubbish – company
William Green
Political Correspondent
A PROBE into an asylum seeker housing contract has been launched amid claims a private company charged the Government and a Yorkshire council for the same properties.
The Home Office is investigating if London-based Angel Group rented the same houses to Leeds Council to put up homeless people and to the Government to accommodate asylum seekers for seven months last year.
The company has a contract with the Home Office's National Asylum Support Service (NASS) to provide 3,351 bed spaces, which equates to 5.78 per cent of the entire scheme. It provides accommodation in Yorkshire and the North-East, and separately has a deal with Leeds Council to house the homeless.
Allegations have also emerged as to whether the firm was paid for accommodation unfit for habitation or for which it had no keys in Newcastle and whether it claimed discounts on council tax to which it was not entitled in the city and Leeds.
The Home Office yesterday confirmed a probe was under way, and added the contract could be terminated and the police involved if evidence of fraud was substantiated.
repost
The Angel Group Successes
31.07.2007 13:14
Operation Reclaim was set up in the North Glasgow area to promote integration and tolerance. The project set up in areas where there was ongoing fighting between rival gangs from the surrounding territories. Tensions in the area where further heightened over the years with the high influx of asylum seekers and refugees to the North Glasgow area.
However, the project provided a source of activity for the young people from the area who were either involved or living in fear of violent crime. With the help of a police presence Operation Reclaim has started to alleviate these problems during the time they are present in the area and furthermore, help promote racial integration and anti-territorialism.
The project has proved a major success over the past two years. It has expanded to five areas across North Glasgow, attracting approximately one thousand participants to the project. Not only does the project provide activity, it aims to develop the young people of the area and create future opportunities for the participants of Operation Reclaim, which would not have been possible without the aid and support of the project partners.
The Angel Group is one of these partners that played a pivotal role in the continual success of the project. Operation Reclaim’s spokesperson would like to thank The Angel Group for their support. The spokesperson said, “Without the support of our partners, such as The Angel Group, Operation Reclaim would not have experienced the success it has to date. The work carried out via The Angel Group is very important to the project and we hope to maintain the support and good relationship which helps everyone involved with Operation Reclaim”.
Paul Dollochin
e-mail:
paul_dollochin@hotmail.com