Our new outreach project involves working with asylum seeking adults living in hotels (initial asylum accommodation) in Birmingham and other surrounding areas. In the last year, 1000s of asylum seekers were placed in these hotels and are offered very limited support. They receive very limited financial support, cannot cook their own meals and often do not know anything about their local area. Combined with being in a new country and not being able to speak the language, living in the hotels can be very isolating and the residents that we speak to describe feeling bored, frustrated and depressed.

This project aims to offer more activities to these residents to help them feel welcomed but also to improve their well being, as well and helping to provide information and knowledge to people who are at beginning of their journey through the asylum system.
We have so far offered a range of activities: football coaching sessions, linking people to local parks, setting up English conversation classes in hotels, as well as working with people individually to help them e.g. with mental health services, applying for university scholarships, sourcing clothing and advocacy to help them secure their rights and entitlements. Our outreach worker also helps people to access other local services and events, for instance, events taking place during Refugee Week and Birmingham City of Sanctuary events.

We work in collaboration with a range of local community groups and other refugee and migrant organisations to help increase the services we can collectively offer and increased the scope and range of what we can offer.
If you would like to find out more or want to get involved, please email Alison.