News

Asylum Accommodation in Swansea: Support #CloseTheBarracks with SHARE Tawe

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by Ibrahim Badawi and Margie Cheesman, volunteer editors

SHARE Tawe: Addressing major challenges with asylum accommodation in Wales

Social justice campaigners have recently been calling for the UK Home Office to end the use of army barracks to house asylum seekers. The #CloseTheBarracks campaign recognises military camps, such as Penally camp in Carmarthenshire, as unsafe and inhumane living conditions for asylum seekers and refugees. Hundreds of people have been forced to live in Penally camp, where there have been allegations of ‘cover-ups, poor access to healthcare and legal advice, and crowded conditions.’ From today, 22nd March 2021, there will be a ‘phased exit’ from Penally camp, following much campaigning, legal action, and an inspection by government authorities. 

Despite this win for social justice in Wales, the quality and availability of asylum accommodation continues to be a critical issue. Sourcing adequate housing for people in need is a major ongoing challenge. In Swansea, the SHARE Tawe Project has been doing positive and inspiring work to address this challenge.

Swansea’s SHARE Tawe Project

SHARE Tawe provides a warm place to stay for homeless asylum seekers who have lost their accommodation. The project connects people with local hosts in Swansea.

Mr Alan Thomas, who gave the project its unique name said: ‘”Share” refers to people being prepared to share their homes. It is a two-way thing, because the local hosts often gain a lot in terms of friendship and understanding as a result of getting to know someone from another country. “Tawe” is the Welsh name of the river that flows through Swansea and connects the community. The Welsh name for Swansea is “Abertawe” (where “Aber” means “mouth of”).’

SHARE Tawe was started as a small project by a subgroup of City of Sanctuary, with several aims. The most important aim is “To offer hospitality, in the form of accommodation, meals, welcome and solidarity to destitute asylum seekers in Swansea. The project goals cannot be done without volunteers who offer a room in their home, or who support the scheme in other ways.” SHARE Tawe has been running for over ten years, and for the last four or five it has been run by SASS, which says that its ultimate goal is “to provide sufficient support and security to enable people to focus on gaining the right to stay in the UK”.

15-20 people on average have benefitted each year, for both shorter and longer periods, and there are 6-10 people in hosted accommodation at any one time. 5-6 people have been hosted throughout the lockdown.

Despite the major challenges and unknowns surrounding Home Office policy and the closing of military camps as accommodation, volunteers are optimistic to see the continuing positive impact of the project in the Swansea community. Please click here for more information and to support the SHARE Tawe, and join our workshops on Wednesday 24th & 30th March to learn more:

Coronavirus Guidance for Asylum-Seeking Communities in the UK

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This guidance is based on the government’s updated advice and health information for migrant and asylum-seeking communities in the UK.

  1. Covid-19 Guidance – Albanian 13.03.2020
  2. Covid-19 Guidance – Amharic 13.03.2020
  3. COVID-19-Guidance-ARABIC
  4. Covid-19 Guidance – Bengali 13.03.2020
  5. Covid-19 Guidance – Dari 13.03.2020
  6. Covid-19 Guidance – English 13.03.2020
  7. Covid-19 Guidance – Farsi 13.03.2020
  8. Covid-19 Guidance – French 13.03.2020
  9. Covid-19 Guidance – Hindi 13.03.2020
  10. Covid-19 Guidance – Kurdish Sorani 13.03.2020
  11. COVID-19-Guidance-Kurdish Kurmanji
  12. Covid-19 Guidance – Mandarin 13.03.2020
  13. Covid-19 Guidance – Pashto 13.03.2020
  14. Covid-19 Guidance – Portugese 13.03.2020
  15. Covid-19 Guidance – Somali 13.03.2020
  16. Covid-19 Guidance – Spanish 13.03.2020
  17. Covid-19 Guidance – Tigrinya 13.03.2020
  18. Covid-19 Guidance – Turkish 13.03.2020
  19. Covid-19 Guidance – Urdu 13.03.2020
  20. Covid-19 Guidance – Vietnamese 13.03.2020

Ways to contact Migrant Help

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Ways to contact Migrant Help

  1. The First Response Centre phone line 0808 8010 503
  2. Webchat (https://ellis.custhelp.com/app/chat/chat_launch)
  3. Email / Ask a Question (https://ellis.custhelp.com/app/ask/session)
  4. Self-service portal (https://ellis.custhelp.com/app/utils/login_form)

If you have reported an urgent issue to Migrant Help but have not received a response, you can escalate the issue to a manager:

  1. For issue reporting which covers maintenance, requests for assistance, problems with payments, lost aspen cards and complaints please try our email / ask a question or live chat using the links in point 2 and 3.

If you do not have the facility to use this then please email the escalations inbox below.

  1. escalations@migranthelpuk.org for cases that need escalating to a manager for the following: asylum payment issues, section 98 ‘S98’ and section 4 ‘S4’ (please also see point 7), negative move. Please also use for the following that have not been submitted to the Home Office – section 95 ‘S95’, change of circumstance applications ‘COCs’ and additional support applications.
  2. S98@migranthelpuk.org – for requested evidence relating to S98 applications. As a temporary measure you can request an urgent call back for S98 IA and S4 applications if you are unable to get through by phone.
  3. Submissions@migranthelpuk.org – for communications relating to section 95, section 4, COCs that have been submitted to the Home Office.
  4. outreach@migranthelpuk.org – to request assistance from Migrant Helps outreach team for service users who have specific needs, are at risk or unable to use the above methods.
  5. ASCorrespondence@migranthelpuk.org – to be used for all communications relating to asylum support including supporting documents for support applications such as S95, S4 and COC’s.
  6. positivemoveon@migranthelpuk.org – to report / raise issues with our positive move on service. This can also be used to request reinstatement for BRP / Discontinuation letters not received following a positive decision on the service users asylum case.
  7. To raise a formal complaint about Migrant Help, our subcontractors, the accommodation providers and the Home Office please contact us using the below:
  8. https://www.migranthelpuk.org/forms/complaint-form-1

 

Writing Workshop for Asylum Seekers and Refugees with acclaimed poet, Eric Ngalle Charles

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Please see message below from Charlotte Rogers, Outreach Officer for Swansea Council / Dylan Thomas Centre:

“Hello all,

There are still places available for our fantastic and FREE writing workshop with Eric Ngalle Charles on Wednesday at the Dylan Thomas Centre. We are happy to accommodate last-minute drop-ins but if any groups are planning on attending we would encourage you to let us know numbers so that we can adequately prepare the room.

Swansea bus tickets will be reimbursed after completion of the workshop.

We look forward to seeing you!”

Writing Workshop for Asylum Seekers and Refugees with acclaimed poet, Eric Ngalle Charles

FREE EVENT with reimbursed travel*

October 4th 2017, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Children welcome

We are very excited to offer a FREE writing workshop for asylum seekers and refugees with the published poet, dramatist and novelist, Eric Ngalle Charles. Having come to the UK in 1999, Eric now runs writing workshops that specifically consider the trauma of the refugee experience.

Eric is an experienced tutor with an impressive dedication to the arts. In collaboration with Hafan books, he has co-edited and published several poetry anthologies by refugees, migrants and indigenous artists. His memoirs are due to be published by Parthian books in 2018. He is also the founder of Black Entertainment Wales, an organisation that showcases the work of BME artists.

To book your place please call 01792463980 or visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/dylanthomas

The Dylan Thomas Centre, Somerset Place, SA1 1RR

* Bus tickets will be reimbursed at reception after the completion of the workshop. Taxis and other modes of transport will not be refunded. Swansea area only.

 

Gweithdy Ysgrifennu ar gyfer Ceiswyr Lloches a Ffoaduriaid gyda’r bardd clodwiw Eric Ngalle Charles

DIGWYDDIAD AM DDIM gyda chostau teithio’n cael eu had-dalu*

4 Hydref 2017, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Croeso i blant

Rydym yn gyffrous iawn i gynnig gweithdy ysgrifennu AM DDIM i geiswyr lloches a ffoaduriaid gyda Eric Ngalle Charles, sydd wedi cyhoeddi gwaith fel bardd, dramodydd a nofelydd. Ar ôl dod i’r DU ym 1999, mae Eric bellach yn cynnal gweithdai ysgrifennu sy’n ystyried yn benodol drawma’r profiad o fod yn ffoadur.

Mae Eric yn diwtor profiadol y mae ei ymrwymiad i’r celfyddydau’n drawiadol. Ar y cyd â Llyfrau Hafan, mae wedi cyd-olygu a chyhoeddi sawl blodeugerdd gan ffoaduriaid, mewnfudwyr ac artistiaid brodorol. Caiff ei hunangofiant ei gyhoeddi gan Parthian Books yn 2018. Ef yw sylfaenydd Black Entertainment Wales, sefydliad sy’n tynnu sylw at waith artistiaid o leiafrifoedd ethnig a du.

Er mwyn cadw lle, ffoniwch 01792463980 neu ewch i www.ticketsource.co.uk/dylanthomas

Canolfan Dylan Thomas, Somerset Place SA1 1RR

* Caiff costau tocynnau bws eu had-dalu yn y dderbynfa ar ôl cwblhau’r gweithdy. Ni chaiff costau tacsis a dulliau cludiant eraill eu had-dalu. Ardal Abertawe’n unig.

 

Charlotte Rogers

Swyddog Allgymorth

Outreach Officer

The Dylan Thomas Centre

www.dylanthomas.com

 

Em’s Big Pembrokeshire Swim for SWANSEA BAY ASYLUM SEEKERS SUPPORT GROUP on MyDonate

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A note from Emily, who is going to do a sponsored swim on 3rd August 2017 to raise money for Unity in Diversity (UiD) and SBASSG.

See below for details:

“In two weeks time, I’m going to take on my biggest swim challenge yet:  22 miles around the Pembrokeshire coast. From Amroth to Freshwater East, finishing back at Swanlake Bay.

I’m raising money for 2 fantastic organizations: Unity in Diversity (UiD) and Swansea Bay Asylum Seekers Support Group (SBASSG), that provide friendship, support, advice and services to people who have fled their homes and are seeking refuge in the UK.

I’m swimming in loving memory of two friends who were instrumental in motivating me to swim but tragically died last September. Rache Dougherty, my closest childhood friend, and Russ Ward who coached me first to do the Solent and then the Channel relay.

This swim is a big deal for me as I’ll be swimming round all the tricky headlands and rocky outcrops, through Caldey Sound and past military artillery zones. And the Pembrokeshire sea is swarming with jellyfish at the moment.

But I’m spurred on by the great work of UiD and SBASSG, and from the ongoing inspiration from Rache and Russ whose positivity and encouragement are still great drivers in my life.

Dan will kayak alongside me. He’s hoping to catch fish along the way and cook up fresh mackerel on a fire in the evenings. Yum.

Please, please sponsor me
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/emilyhinshelwood

I will be keeping a blog to let you know of my progress: http://jellyfishjemboree.co.uk/

If anyone would like to join us in swimming, kayaking or just enjoying the Pembrokeshire coast, do get in touch…. http://jellyfishjemboree.co.uk/about/

Love,

Emily”

2017-06-19 10_31_54-Em's Big Pembrokeshire Swim for SWANSEA BAY ASYLUM SEEKERS SUPPORT GROUP on MyDo

Source: Em’s Big Pembrokeshire Swim for SWANSEA BAY ASYLUM SEEKERS SUPPORT GROUP on MyDonate

Refugee Week Dinner: Friday 30 June 2017 6.30pm

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 Celebrate Refugee Week with us

Friday 30 June 2017 6.30pm

City United Reformed Church, Windsor Place, Cardiff

2 Course Dinner and a Movie   – £12.50

Bring your Own Wine

Kenyan Inspired Menu with food cooked with help from local Cardiff refugees.

The movie “Warehoused” gives an intimate look at the plight long-term refugees face worldwide, by exploring life in Dadaab, Kenya, one of the largest refugee camps in the world. We see the camp’s inner workings through one man’s journey to do everything in his power to provide for his family.

 

Tickets and info here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/asylum-justice-dinner-and-movie-tickets-35105447338

FAQs

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?

The closest local train station is Queen Street Station and is 5 minute walk away. Limited car parking is available behind the church. Lots of pay and display car parking is available in the surrounding streets, and in nearby parking garages.

What can I bring into the event?

Bring your own wine, and pay a 50p cost per glass

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Email questions to a.mcqueen@asylumjustice.org.uk

Twitter: @asylumjustice

Asylum Justice is a registered charity (Reg No 1112026) regulated by the

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (Reg No N200800025)

 

Signpost Training – Referral Routes for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Swansea area

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Signpost Training

Swansea is a city of welcome and there are a great number of existing services available to asylum seekers and refugees. It is our aim to connect the people we support with much needed help in their new communities.

With the aim of improving the capacity of individuals/organisations in supporting Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Swansea area, Unity in Diversity (Swansea 2015) and Swansea BayAsylum Seeker Support Group invite you to complete the following activity. Participants who demonstrate a clear understanding of appropriate referral routes will receive a certificate of acknowledgement in using effective signposting.logo-and-cert

Using our Directory of Services, appropriate referral routes will be identified using example case scenarios. As this is designed to improve our collective capacity participants and organisations that contribute extra information on new/existing services will have specific feedback and acknowledgement for improving the directory as contributors.

This training is provided free of charge and is open to any individual/organisation with an interest in supporting asylum seekers and refugees. Organisations that have a number of staff participating will receive acknowledgement in the form of an ‘Organisation Certificate’. It is very important to note that many of the services in our directory support the general population, not just asylum seekers and refugees.

Let’s get Started

  1. Please browse/study our directory of services

↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑  Navigate the directory using these buttons

2. Identify appropriate referral routes and enter on our online form

Thank you very much for your participation!

Participants who demonstrate a clear understanding of appropriate referral routes will receive a certificate of acknowledgement in using effective signposting.

Resources

Our Directory of Services and Links is free to print, use and share 🙂

Directory of Services and Links – Printable Version Here

Signpost Training – Printable Version Here

Pay What You Can Afford: Matt’s Cafe Taster Session Monday Feb 27th 12-4pm

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Matt’s Cafe is part of the Real Junk Food (TRJF) Project, a network of national and international cafes (both permanent and pop-ups) with one central objective: to intercept food waste destined for land fill and use it to feed people who need it, on a pay as you feel basis.

Matt’s Cafe is the first registered café on the TRJF network in Swansea.

It is based at Matthew’s House, High Street, Swansea, SA1 1LW  More info at: http://matthewshouse.org.uk/matts-cafe/
The innovative pay as you feel concept encourages people to think about what that plate of food means to them, and value it in whatever way they can. By choosing not to segregate people based on financial circumstances these cafes can be funded, but in a manner that neither patronises those who need it most and empowers others to freely support it.

It provides the balance between the need for funding and the need for giving, but it does so in a very blended format – everyone is equal in being fed, it is up to the individual to pay what they feel.

Our three pillars:

  • To reduce food waste
  • To feed those with or without funds
  • To provide opportunities for those who are long-term unemployed

 

Matt’s Cafe is holding a taster session on Monday February 27th between 12 and 4pm and more information can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1841094242805520/

Asylum seekers and refugees are be welcome to attend the cafe and can pay what they can afford / what they feel the food is worth.