The Guardian and Observer are partnering with three UK-based charities – Refugee Councils of Britain, Refugees at Home, and the No Accommodation Network (Naccom) – for our 2023 annual appeal in support of refugees and asylum seekers. Here’s a brief guide to what the charities do, why they do it and how they make a difference.
Refugee Councils of Britain
The Refugee Councils of Britain support and empower people who have fled conflict, violence and persecution in order to rebuild their lives in safety in the UK.
Comprising the separate British, Scottish and Welsh refugee councils, they champion refugee rights, campaign to establish a humane and compassionate refugee protection system, and promote the voices of refugee communities.
They provide advice to help people navigate the asylum process and hands-on support so they can rebuild their lives. Many have experienced trauma and the councils help with access to specialist mental health programmes.
“We will continue to expose the harsh reality of life for refugees here in the UK, because it is only when we connect through a shared humanity for one another that we will really become a country we can be proud of,” says the British Refugee Council’s chief executive, Enver Solomon.
The appeal will help the charities fund services to connect refugees with their local community and return to employment. It will also help fund the councils’ campaigning work. Donations to the Refugee Councils of Britain will go to the British Refugee Council, which will share funds with partner organisations the Scottish Refugee Council and the Welsh Refugee Council.
Mission: To help refugees and asylum seekers live safe and fulfilling lives and contribute to society. To speak out against injustice and unfairness, and campaign to improve the experiences of people seeking protection in the UK.
Refugees at Home
Set up by a small group of friends concerned about Syrian refugees in 2016, Refugees at Home is now a major independent hosting charity, running a national network of volunteers with spare rooms who host homeless refugees and asylum seekers, providing them with shelter and support.
This winter may be its busiest yet with potentially thousands of refugees at risk of destitution and homelessness. “We don’t believe people who come to the UK for sanctuary should end up on the streets,” says Sara Nathan, a co-founder and trustee of the charity.
Guests referred into Refugees at Home are professionally assessed and then matched with suitable hosts who provide a bed, access to the kitchen and bathroom and a welcoming smile – supported along the way by the Refugees at Home team.
“Our guests not only get a safer night’s sleep but they can practise their English, experience British family life, learn about society and share their culture with a welcoming host family. Hosts say they enjoy learning from their guests and supporting them as they build their new life in the UK. Many guests and hosts become lifelong friends,” says Nathan.
Since 2016, Refugees at Home has organised nearly 500,000 placement nights – nights which would otherwise have been spent on the streets. It wants to invest its share of the appeal donations in scaling up its work, enabling more volunteers across the UK to open their doors.
Mission: To connect volunteer hosts with a spare room to refugees and asylum seekers in desperate need of somewhere to stay.
The No Accommodation Network (Naccom)
Naccom is a UK-wide network of over 130 charities and organisations, including grassroots and community-led projects, that provide a housing and destitution safety net for refugees and people seeking asylum, as well as other migrants left without means to support themselves.
“Our members play an increasingly vital role in supporting people out of destitution and homelessness, by providing a safe, temporary home where they can find safety and stability, as well as access other vital services such as legal advice and wellbeing activities,” says Naccom’s director, Bridget Young.
Naccom’s latest member survey reveals a devastating picture of a chaotic UK asylum system routinely leaving people homeless and in poverty. The scale of the crisis, says Young, means member charities are struggling to keep pace with soaring need.
Over the past year Naccom members housed 3,724 people, about a third of whom were previously sleeping rough. They gave financial help to nearly 4,000 people to keep them fed, warm, clean and clothed.
Naccom will redistribute its share of appeal donations to its members in the form of one-off grants, ensuring cash support reaches local projects at the frontline.
Mission: To have a fair, just and humane UK asylum and immigration system, which enables people seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants to be free from destitution and to live with dignity.