Understanding Needs & Attendance: SASS Reports 2024

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Over the past year, we have seen an increase in demand for support and increasing complexities in the needs of asylum seekers and refugees in Swansea. To better understand these challenges, the SASS team have been working on producing two key reports:

Below is a brief summary of our findings.

Needs Assessment Report

Conducted in August 2024, this report surveyed 54 ASRs, revealing critical issues in food security, healthcare, housing, employment, and legal support:

  • 70% reported food insecurity, struggling with affordability and access to culturally appropriate meals.
  • 64% faced health challenges, but 40% had difficulty accessing care due to long waiting times and financial barriers.
  • 40% experienced poor housing conditions, with issues like dampness and overcrowding.
  • 90% were unemployed, citing legal restrictions, language barriers and unrecognised qualifications.
  • 50%+ lacked access to essential items like clothing, bedding, and toiletries due to financial constraints.

SASS Attendance Report

SASS drop-ins saw significant growth in 2024, reflecting increasing demand:

  • Friday drop-in: Average weekly attendance rose 57% (from 91 in 2023 to 143 in 2024), with a record high of 228 attendees at one session in December.
  • Saturday drop-in: Average weekly attendance increased 51% (from 47 in 2023 to 71 in 2024).
  • 1011 unique attendees at Friday drop-ins, with 57% returning at least once and 22% attending 10+ times.
  • Under-18 attendees doubled, largely due to improved logging and success of the Welcome to Play team.
  • Attendees represented 56 countries and spoke 55 languages, with English and Arabic most common.

These reports are important for the shaping of SASS’s future, ensuring we can continue to meet the needs of Swansea’s ASR community. For more insights, please read the full reports, as well as the Asylum Matters 2023: Surviving in Poverty report, which documents life on asylum support and provides further context on the challenges faced by asylum seekers nationwide.