We’ve all heard it said that one good deed deserves another and this is very much the case with SVP. Many of those who receive support and advice from the Society then go on to become volunteers - such as Alex Muliukin and his family, from Russia.
Alex came to this country as an asylum seeker more than three years ago after life for him and his family became untenable. He had stood as a Member of Parliament in Russia in local elections opposing Vladimir Putin, but began receiving anonymous threats via the phone following his campaign which made his life in the country extremely challenging. When doctors began to deny him access to the insulin needed to treat his diabetes, Alex and his family knew they had to flee their homeland to seek sanctuary elsewhere. They had no luggage and had to leave behind their business, apartment and everything they owned.
Once landing at Heathrow and unable to speak English, they used the internet to translate the word “help” and write it on cardboard signs. Eventually police approached the family and were able to support them with their application for asylum in the UK. After a month in a hostel, the Home Office moved the family to Southend. With no right to work, Alex and his wife used the little income they received to pay for electricity and gas and pay for English lessons for their children. They relied almost entirely on the local food bank and the support of the St Vincent’s Centre in Southend to pay for basic necessities.
Thankfully Alex’s application for asylum was accepted, and him and his family were granted refugee status, which meant they could find paid work and begin to settle. Alex and his wife began working as a carer and a cleaner, however these jobs could not cover their cost of living, so they are now in receipt of Universal Credit. With many landlords refusing to lease properties to people on benefits, however, they are having trouble finding accommodation.