We have safe and secure accommodation for refugees and migrants (not currently for asylum seekers unfortunately) in Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. Our houses are shared, fully furnished and suitable for single adults with low to medium support needs. We also have a small number of non-supported and emergency houses.

We provide intensive and assertive support to a small number of care leavers and children in need, as part of our Intensive Support accommodation and support services working specifically with Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Young People settling in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

Boaz shared houses are for people who have been refused asylum or people recently granted refugee status. These houses are single sex and are allocated for men or women (unfortunately, we cannot usually accommodate family groups). Our accommodation and support is available for up to twelve months. Our team of support workers meet regularly with people to offer holistic support and encouragement. Many of the people we support are unfamiliar with navigating systems and culture here in the UK, may not speak English as a first language and may lack social networks and experience which many of us rely on.

How to access

Referral only via our website

Floating Support refers to our work with people not currently living in Boaz houses. This support is for people living in unstable accommodation who are at risk of destitution, or those who are already experiencing homelessness because of their immigration status.

RESS stands for Restricted Eligibility Support Service. Boaz currently delivers floating support as part of RESS, in partnership with the Booth Centre, and GMIAU (Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit).

The service supports people by offering immigration advice through Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit and floating support through Boaz and the Booth Centre. As part of RESS, Boaz works with people with restricted eligibility from non-EU countries. The term 'restricted eligibility' includes people who have conditions attached to their immigration status that restrict their entitlements to claim benefits and access housing assistance (this can include those referred to as having No Recourse to Public Funds).

How to access

To make a referral to RESS you can use this form - https://form.jotform.com/230722721343043

British Red Cross provides a drop in service one day a week. It provides a social space, including a hot meal and a wide range of activities including:

• Case work
• ESOL
• health and wellbeing
• arts and crafts
• employability support
• signposting to other social activities and support

How to access

Drop in.

Project CLEAR provides support for asylum seekers with multiple complex needs, which make it particularly difficult to navigate the asylum system and access other support. CLEAR clients typically have experience of more than one of the following: severe mental and/or physical health issues, disabilities, complex immigration history, experience of the criminal justice system, long term rough sleeping, survivors of domestic abuse.

This service is access via an internal referral from BRR advice service.

We are working in partnership with Bristol City Council to support the hosts on the Homes for Ukraine scheme. We are the main point of contact for hosts in this scheme and are funded to provide this support to every host under the scheme in Bristol. We have video and written resources on a variety of topics, which are all available to hosts on request. We also run host support drop-ins and email and telephone host support from our team of full time resettlement support workers. Additionally, we support hosts and guests who would like to transfer onto a lodging agreement from their Homes for Ukraine placement. If your guest has moved on and you would like to take on a lodger, Refugee Welcome Homes can help match you with a Ukrainian lodger or a refugee lodger.

Julian House has been commissioned by South Gloucestershire Council to provide support for the new arrivals to our community. We are working in partnership with ACH, The Care Forum and Livewest to ensure that every Ukrainian family has the support they need when they arrive. So far more than 150 people in 78 households have been supported through the partnership. First and foremost, we visit each new arrival during their first days in South Gloucestershire to offer a warm welcome to our community, and to ensure that they feel safe and comfortable in their new home.

Refugees Welcome North Somerset are here to help refugees who are unable to find short-term options for accommodation, once asked to leave their asylum accommodation provided by the Home Office. Our hosting service is designed for those who: Do not have any close friends or family connections in the United Kingdom. Do not yet know where they want to live or work once they become a Refugee. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters in North Somerset, we may able to offer short-term hosting accommodation for a maximum of three months, whilst long-term plan are made for independent, future living in this country. Whilst being hosted, hosts and guests are asked to design their living arrangements together, and regularly engage with Refugees Welcome North Somerset to show us that guest is actively creating their move-on options.

Support for new refugees: How can Refugees Welcome North Somerset support you? Register you for Universal Credit and open a bank account Talk to you about short-term accommodation options with your friends and family Complete your duty to refer to be registered as homeless with North Somerset Council Start your housing application for social housing (Note that council houses are extremely limited) Put you on our waiting list for any available rooms in shared houses Support you with job applications and navigating the UK job market Help you manage an existing tenancy you are living in

Migrant Help is a charity in the UK that supports asylum seekers and refugees. They provide essential services to individuals who have fled their home countries due to fear of persecution or danger. Their aim is to help these people rebuild their lives in safety.

Asylum Help deliver the Home Office's AIRE contract, via their helpline, to provide advice to asylum seekers on asylum support applications and issues with their asylum support accommodation or payments.

We can advise you in your language on issues such as:

How to claim asylum

Navigating the asylum process

Applying for asylum support including accommodation

Notifying the Home Office if your circumstances change

Finding legal representation

Accessing healthcare

Support during the post-decision period - read about the support available after positive decision here, and negative decision here

Other asylum and post-asylum claim related matters

We can signpost you to other helpful services in your area by telephone or in person, just talk to your adviser for more information. 

Please note that we are able to give advice on rights and entitlements but we are not able to provide legal advice or legal representation. If we cannot help, we will provide you with a list of qualified legal representatives.

You should also contact us regarding:

Maintenance issues – to report problems with your asylum accommodation. We will liaise with the accommodation provider on your behalf to address these.

Request for assistance – if you feel there is a risk to your/your family’s health and wellbeing. This can be to report suspected child neglect, domestic violence, sexual harassment or exploitation, anti-social behaviour, destitution or homelessness or suspected extremism or radicalisation.

Asylum payment issues – in case your card is lost or stolen, you forget your PIN, receive incorrect payment or don’t receive your payment. We will liaise with the payment provider on your behalf.

How to access

24/7 support through our helpline and webchat on our website.

If you are a third party organisation and wish to contact Migrant Help on behalf of an asylum seeker, please include a signed consent form. Include your details as well, in case we need to contact you for further information. 

Please note that queries relating to eligibility, change of circumstances or outstanding applications for support will require support from our Eligibility Advice and Guidance Line (EAGL), which operates Monday-Friday 8am-8pm.

Volunteers and staff help with asylum support, asylum process, claiming asylum, how to access to immigration advice and referrals and signposting to other solicitor firms and legal services colleagues.

The team also assist with:

• Refugee travel documents (for those with refugee status only)
•Naturalisation as British Citizen (adult)
• Registration as British Citizen (child)
• Lost BRP card
• EEA residence cards for EEA national and their family members (including permanent residency)
• NLT and TOC (bio-metric residence card for those with visa in passport of paper document)
• Leave in line application (for a child of a refugee born after parent is granted refugee status).

Also help with the provision on advice and practical support on accessing to services including housing, access to health and welfare services.

Also deliver ESOL classes, Language Parties, Language Clubs, Migrants Voices from the North – Radio Show.

The Language Employability and Integration Hubs are aimed to support people from diverse migrant communities who are new in the UK to not only learn English but also to reduce levels of isolation encouraging them to understand English culture, skills for life and increase chances to get employment.

The LE Integration Hubs also is a platform to understand multiculturalism and develop conversations about respect and tolerance. Teachers and volunteers deliver English for Skill for Life sessions covering basic and advanced grammar Provide access to private housing to refuges that have status, along with a six month reintegration package to help people claim benefits, education, healthcare, local orientation etc.

How to access:

Main ESOL contact: sandra@migrantsupport.org.uk

Volunteer coordinator: sophie@migrantsupport.org.uk

Organic Soul Food supports the homeless with hot food provision, clothing, sleeping bags and other vital items, signposting people to appropriate services and advocating on their behalf.

Food bank, soup kitchen and community cohesion - Carry out soup runs in the Manchester area to address issues caused by homelessness. Give practical outreach support to people who are homeless or on low incomes in the Manchester area. Our team goes into the city centre serving hot food, and hot drinks and making new friendships. Also deliver food parcels and other essential items to those in need in Bury.

Organic Soul Food is working to build a community in which all citizens and communities feel valued, enjoy equal opportunities, lead fulfilling lives, and share a common sense of belonging. We do this by organising regular events throughout the year with different communities from different faiths or no faith, different cultures and backgrounds, working to building stronger communities.

How to access

Email referral

Room for Refugees is a discreet and confidential hosting network providing safe matching of refugees and asylum seekers with households across the UK. The hosting process gives an invaluable opportunity for refugee support agencies to work on cases and stabilise clients so that they are able to re-access public funds or even resolve their case so that the right to live in the UK is granted to them. We also work with social workers from local authorities seeking loving homes for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker Children.

Our online system – REFER – lets caseworkers from refugee and migrant support organisations quickly find suitable hosts for their clients. Once a referral is accepted, our staff will conduct a systematic search of potential hosts. This could take a few hours or a day or two depending on the case. When a host indicates they are available, we provide you their details. After you have met the host with the client, the host will decide, usually within a day, whether to accept your client as a guest. When a host agrees to take your client as a guest, you accompany your client to their home to discuss and sign a hosting agreement and code of conduct.

How to access

Apply for an online caseworker account using the link at the bottom of the page - https://www.roomforrefugees.com/caseworker-account

Once the account is approved, usually within a day or so, read all the guidance and make your first referral. (For especially urgent vulnerable cases, email home@positiveactionh.org first to say you need an account quickly). We will then assess the referral and search for suitable hosts.

Eligibility: To be a member you must be demonstrably working with people from refugee and migrant communities at risk of destitution. You will then be able to apply for crisis support from the Positive Action in Housing Emergency Relief Fund and for free hosting from Room for Refugees anywhere in the UK. You must be involved with your client/s however.

Our aim is to develop supported lodgings for refugees in Bristol where Refugee Welcome Homes provide ongoing support and signposting for both the person who offers the room (we refer to this person as the landlord) and refugee lodger. RWH introduce potential refugee lodgers and landlords to each other, providing both the lodger and the landlord with "light touch" support for the period of between 12-18 months.

Using Home Office funding, B&NES Council commission Julian House to resettle people with ‘refugee’ status through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). The scheme exists to enable the resettlement of those who have been identified by the United Nations as being the most vulnerable people fleeing persecution, violence, and life-threatening challenges in their countries of origin. We work mostly with families, many of whom have significant medical conditions and/or who have survived torture. The project supports and empowers families to rebuild their lives, move forwards from trauma, and live happily and independently in the UK. We work closely in partnership with local charity Bath Welcomes Refugees amongst other local, regional and national organisation.

The Work Club offers employment-related information, guidance and support for refugees, vulnerable migrants and people seeking asylum who live in the area of Manchester Local Authority.

Together we offer: Information and guidance, including;

• Volunteering
• Finding and applying for jobs
• Career routes
• Education and training
• Recognition of overseas qualifications
• Learning English
• Developing individual learning and career plans.
• Digital skills appointments in English and Arabic

To Access:

This service is offered remotely through phone and video appointments and through a drop in. Please email us for more information.

Many survivors have had horrendous experiences. They are often unable to trust anyone, experience flashbacks and live in constant fear. Our women’s and men’s safehouses provide a welcoming, safe and supportive environment so survivors can begin to get their lives back. Survivors living in our safehouses receive support from a dedicated caseworker to assist with their recovery. In order to access our services, survivors must first be referred into the National Referral Mechanism by a First Responder. Please see our website for more information.

Stepping Stone is a charity that supports homeless individuals and families in Manchester. They focus on helping people move towards stable housing and a better quality of life. The service works with various groups, including those facing mental health issues, substance misuse, and other challenges that contribute to homelessness.

Services Included:

• Temporary accommodation

• Support with finding permanent housing

• Access to essential facilities like showers and laundry.

• Provides personalised support plans to help clients achieve their goals.

• Offer life skills workshops, such as budgeting and cooking classes.

By offering a range of stable short-term accommodation with both on-site and floating support services, we aim to help our customers to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to secure and maintain independent accommodation.

To Access:

Referrals to Stepping Stone can be made by social services, healthcare providers, or directly by individuals seeking help. To make a referral: https://www.stepping-stone.org.uk/referrals/.

Stockport Homes offers a homelessness service to help people in Stockport who are at risk of becoming homeless or who are already homeless. They work with individuals and families, providing support to find stable housing and improve their living situations.

They are a Local Council department with duties around prevention of homelessness, housing options advice and assessment of entitlement to housing for people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness and duty to accommodate in certain circumstances.

Referrals can come from various sources, such as local agencies, social services, or individuals seeking assistance.

Services Include:

• Advice on housing options

• Help with applications for social housing

• Support to access temporary accommodation when needed.

• Assist clients in developing a housing plan

• Offering guidance on budgeting and managing finances.

• They may connect individuals with other local resources, such as mental health services or employment support.

• They organise workshops and training to help clients gain skills for independent living, such as cooking and job readiness.

To Access:

Please phone or email in for more information or contact a member of team via: https://www.stockporthomes.org/do-it-online/tell-us/contact-us/

For a homeless emergency outside normal office opening hours, please call 0161 474 2818.

We are working with Bristol City Council to support Ukrainians who arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme to find lodgings in households in Bristol as they move on from their initial 6-12 month host/guest arrangements. Refugee Welcome Homes is looking for people who are willing to offer a room in their home to a Ukrainian lodger. We will provide support to the Ukrainian guests to complete the paperwork and move into their new lodgings and signpost to ongoing support with education and skills.