Welcoming Asylum Seekers & Refugees

One SVP member, who is part of the Holy Angels - Hale Barns Conference in South Manchester, has been carrying out befriending activities in his local community centre for over a year now. 

These classes take place once a week, where our member provides support during ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for asylum seekers at a local hotel, with most people attending the class currently waiting for UK entry clearance. 

Our member has highlighted this as so much more than just helping those with speaking English, it is connecting and friendship building. 

One attendee of the classes, Ibrahim* who was a furniture sprayer back in Syria, was unable to speak much English when he first started classes and couldn't write his own name in his native language. During these classes, he would proudly show images of the furniture work he did back in Syria before being forced to leave his country.

Then one day in the middle of a lesson, he pointed to our member's wedding ring and indicated he didn't have a ring on any finger even though I knew he was married.

"You don't wear a ring," our member asked, following which he showed him his hands. Two of his fingers had been cut short, with three of the four others looked as though they had been beaten or crushed.

"Assad torture," Ibrahim said.

The work of our members is so important to making these vital connections with people and ensuring that they have somewhere where they can turn. 

Members of the Brierly Hill Conference based in Birmingham came to help a young man who was neither an asylum seeker or refugee, and this is why the help of the Conference members were needed.

Daniel* had been living with a member of his family for several months after he arrived in the UK on a student visa. 

Unfortunately, things were not how Daniel* had imagined and he began to have anxiety & stress issues, leading him to drop out of his studies. On a student visa, Daniel was allowed to work up to 20 hours per week, but failed in his search to find an employer who would hire him. 

The Conference was contacted after Daniel* was made homeless following a rift with a family member who he was living with. To help Daniel*, the Conference paid for him to stay in a hotel for two nights, had they not, he would have been sleeping on the streets. After speaking with him more, the Conference found that he wanted to return to his own country but did not have enough funds to be able to do this.  

Due to not being an asylum seeker or refugee and coming into the country through a student visa, Daniel* was not entitled to any public funds to help him cover the costs of returning home. He was not able to turn to a hostel for help, and the Home Office would not help cover any payments in trying to get him home due to his visa status.  

Members of the Conference applied for funding to the National Office to help Daniel* with a flight home, but this would take time. So, to help him faster, members decided to use their own personal money to book him a flight home and coach fair to get there. Members drove Daniel* to Birmingham to catch his coach which left at 3.30am, where he would then travel to London where he could catch his flight from Heathrow. They also paid some money into his bank account as he would need to spend a night in a hotel in his on country before making the 5-hour onward journey back to his parents’ house.  

Since then, Daniel* has been in contact with the Conference to say he has arrived safe and well. 

Our Community Support Centre (CSP) based in East Leeds recently took nine asylum seekers and refugees who were staying at a local hotel on a day trip to the Denton Estate. This outing was made possible due to funding given to the centre from the Leeds City People Seeking Asylum Fund and NG Bailey Construction.

The trip was arranged to help boost mental and physical wellbeing as a retreat to the countryside. For some of the people on the visit, it was a rare opportunity for them to participate in gardening and conservation efforts, and gave them an opportunity for them to use their skills to make a real difference in their new local community. 

This was a new opportunity for most, and so to make the trip more fun and to boost morale and ease nerves, the centre arranged some fun educational activities such as spelling, phrases, numbers and object identification. 

As the trip progressed, people shared their stories, made new bonds, enjoyed a meal together and came together to enjoy the day. One particular man, from West Africa, found the trip especially beneficial. He spoke very little English and usually finds it challenging to socialise with others at the hotel and so struggles to leave the hotel. This trip was the perfect opportunity for him to boost his confidence and bond with others, he even said it was "the best day ever."

Jalal initially visited St Vincent's Newcastle so he could learn English through one of the centre's classes. 

As a family of Iraq-Kurdish origin, Jalal along with his wife and family, were forced to leave their country as Jalal was an active MP in the Government opposition party. This meant they were deemed apostates by the current Government and their home was set alight because of this. 

The family had no other choice but to leave their country and fled to the UK where they have since settled in Newcastle. 

Following his enjoyment of the English classes, Jalal wanted to give something back to the centre, and has since started volunteering there so he can help.

ESOL classes at St Vincent's centres are so much more than just learning a new language, they are a place where people seeking asylum and refuge can go everyday to give them a sense of purpose and belonging. The centres are also a great place for people to learn about their local community and meet new people.