Hot food and a warm welcome for asylum seekers and refugees in Islington this winter

The Pitch

Problem statement

In the UK asylum seekers are banned from working and must get by on £5.66 per day. 76% of all people seeking asylum wait longer than six months for a decision about whether they can stay in the UK, many wait much longer. While people wait, they are in limbo: they can’t work, they struggle to buy food, most speak little English, they lack social networks and live very isolated lives. Many of the people we work with are also coming to terms with human rights abuses experienced in their country of origin. Asylum seekers desperately need compassion, a warm welcome and the chance to feel human again. They also need hot food, free toiletries, warm winter coats and food they can take away.

Solution

Our goal is to open our Centre in Islington every Wednesday throughout the winter and offer 20 - 30 people each week: - Hot food - Toiletries - Donations eg food and coats - An advice service for often urgent issues eg. finding somewhere to sleep, needing a GP, needing a solicitor. We ask for funding of £3000. - Hot food for 25 people every week for 3 months: £1200 - Contribution to Receptionist and Referral Worker's salary: £800 - Contribution to Support Service Coordinator’s salary, to offer advice and referrals to other organizations: £1000 The impact will be that each week 25-30 asylum seekers and refugees will have a warm welcome, have hot food and access to expert advice.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

We have been working with refugees and asylum seekers in London for 24 years. Our staff have a deep understanding of the issues people face, our Chief Executive has been with us for 21 years and has worked with more than 100 refugees each year. We have a strong reputation in the refugee community as an organization which can be trusted. The people who come to us usually come by word of mouth, they have experienced trauma and are often wary of seeking help, in many cases we are the only service reaching them. We have strong connections with many partners including funders, both high profile and local, and excellent links in the community in Islington.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

50 people

Expected impact

We expect the impact of this project to be that, over the winter months, 20-30 refugees and asylum seekers will have a warm, welcoming place to come each Wednesday for support. In total, we expect to work with 50 unique individuals across the three month period. The project outputs will be that: - 50 refugees and asylum seekers will have access to a free hot lunch every Wednesday throughout the winter. - 50 refugees and asylum seekers will have a place to go, spend time and feel valued every Wednesday. - 50 refugees and asylum seekers will have access to toiletries and donations in kind e.g. warm coats, canned food, that they can take away with them. - 50 refugees and asylum seekers will have access to expert advice and support to overcome urgent problems e.g. finding safe accommodation over the winter. The outcome we aim to achieve is that 50 refugees and asylum seekers will feel valued and move empowered to overcome the multiple and complex issues they face.

Track record

At no time has our work been more important than during the pandemic during which, for some of those we work with, we were their only connection. We reacted very quickly to the crisis and started sending support packages for food and essentials to 90 extremely vulnerable asylum seekers, 70% of the 130 people we work with. Meanwhile, made our advice and support service remotely available and took our English lessons and community groups online. Digital exclusion was a huge issue but, just as we stepped up, our clients stepped up too. People who had never been online embraced the smart phones we sent them and learned to Zoom. Now, we aim to run all of the online work developed over the pandemic alongside reopening the Centre. We ask you to consider supporting us. For now, let me leave you with the words of one of our clients, Raphael: ‘Islington Centre is a family to me. I don’t hesitate to share my personal concern with the staff. They are the ones who help me.'

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