2015 annual review for southampton and winchester visitors group
DESCRIPTION
Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group is a group of volunteers who befriend and support asylum seekers and refugees in the Southampton area.TRANSCRIPT
Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group
Annual Review 2014 –15
Our clients say
If anyone wants to see angels on Earth, they can see SWVG visitor friends. I always feel blessed by God to have wonderful friends like them. They have done soooooo much for us, I know, I can never repay it. But I always pray for all of you and I know, my God will repay you in much better way, because it’s not just my tongue which prays but my heart. May God keep all of you always blessed n happy.
Sanctuary – somewhere that I can turn to. The most supportive charity I have ever come across.
Wonderful people/group that I have ever met in my entire life. Caring, kind and accommodating, especially my visitor. God bless them all. Honestly, I’m short of words. This group is wonderful and always helpful. Happy to meet them.
Thank you. it is like my family.
My involvement with SWVG taught me a lot about issues that affect asylum seekers and refugees, especially destitution. I received incredible support and encouragement. I have been allocated a befriender who supports me emotionally.
When I am settled and have work I want to help others, like SWVG helped me. Thank you SWVG.
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SWVG, no words are enough to describe what you are to me. You’re my best friend. You’re my family. You gave me hope when I had no hope. You gave me strength to go on in this trying moment. All your visitors are awesome. Through rain, shine, wind, snow you’re always there, you never give up on me. A BIG FAT THANK YOU.
SWVG means life to me.
SWVG helps us in every possible way they can from getting legal advice regarding our case to financial assistance in various matters which include assistance for hobbies. All the help provided by SWVG enabled us to settle down and integrate well in the society. All the staff and volunteers are very cooperative, helpful and doing the great job of helping humanity.
SWVG cares for me.
It means the whole world. I would be nothing without them. And they are helpful to everyone. They mean a lot. I love them all. They are the only family I have. I don’t know how to thank them. I appreciate everything that they are doing for me. Thank you very much SWVG a million times.
Our core activities
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Each client referred to us is
allocated a visitor whom they
meet regularly and who offers
support and friendship. Most
clients are physically and
emotionally traumatised by their
experiences and bewildered by
the asylum system and life in
a strange country. Some need
help to find a GP, a solicitor or a
school for their children.
Those waiting to hear the
outcome of their asylum claim
are not allowed to work but
receive NASS support – a room
in a shared house and £36.95 a
week. Clients who have had their
initial claim refused are no longer
entitled to NASS support,
leaving them destitute. Our
ASSIST scheme pays up to £75
a week for a small room and £35
a week subsistence for a limited
period. With this support many
clients can get legal advice, paid
for by legal aid, from a local
firm of solicitors with whom we
work closely, enabling them to
submit a fresh claim. In complex
cases we can arrange for
clients to receive advice from an
experienced immigration lawyer.
For those granted Indefinite leave
to remain the road ahead is still
difficult. Even those with skills
and training have not worked
for some years. For the less
qualified it can be very
hard to find jobs. Some have
found work cleaning, caring or
in factories but most clients,
however keen to work, rely on
housing benefit and JSA. We
have met managers at Jobcentre
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Plus to improve the support for
our clients. Delays in paying
benefits mean that without
SWVG’s financial support clients
would again be destitute.
For some clients legal
avenues are exhausted, NASS
support is withdrawn and
they face destitution. In these
circumstances ASSIST and
the support of their visitor
help them them consider their
limited options. Refugee Action
has provided impartial and
compassionate advice to several
clients considering assisted
voluntary return.
Beyond the basics
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Education and trainingLearning English is particularly
important for our clients and
we help and encourage them to
attend courses run by CLEAR
or City College. We also have
qualified volunteers who can
arrange one-to-one sessions.
This is particularly important for
clients who speak no, or very
little, English and who may even
not be able to write in their own
language.
We also apply for charitable
grants to enable clients to go
on training courses such as
plumbing or engineering, or to
take university degrees. One of
our clients has been awarded
a degree and another has
achieved a Masters’. Clients
show considerable commitment
to these courses, which they
sometimes commence before
they have even been granted
leave to remain.
Voluntary workAsylum seekers are not allowed
to work before they have
leave to remain, but most of
them very much want to work
and to become independent.
Meanwhile they often do
voluntary work as a way of
contributing to the community –
in charity shops, taking the book
trolley round in hospital, or in the
kitchen at Avenue St Andrews
Multi-Cultural Centre. Clients are
also very helpful to each other
and because so many different
languages are spoken – Amharic,
Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi etc – they
will act as informal interpreters.
Social and individual activitiesDepression, loneliness and
boredom are conditions which
can beset asylum seekers and
another way we try to help them
overcome this is by providing
social activities. This year,
for example, we organised a
barbeque in Royal Victoria Park,
Netley, a summer party at St
Mary’s Church, Southampton
and a Christmas party to which
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some clients brought a national
dish they themselves had
cooked. We have also arranged
fund raising walks and trips to
the theatre. In all these events
clients and their children take
an active part. In addition, we
provide support for individual
activities such as cycling,
swimming, crafts and music.
One of our visitors has designed
a drama which has been very
successful and which clients
have adapted to put on different
performances.
Our work in numbers
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We have regularly visited 52 clients
(with 28 children) for all or part of
the year and about 26 more have
been in occasional contact
We have provided ASSIST support for
33 of our clients (with 10 children)
for all or part of the year
We have taken on 16 new clients
(9 male and 7 female)
17 clients have been on state-funded
NASS support in Southampton for all or
part of the year
5 clients have moved to state-funded
NASS support away from Southampton
4 clients have been granted leave to remain
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Our clients come from 22 different
countries
Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Iran are the
countries of origin for the largest
number of clients
39 trained visitors have befriended
and supported clients – 9 of these are
new members who were trained as visitors
in March
Client stories
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MelanieWhen we first met Melanie she
had been refused asylum and
she and her baby son were
homeless and destitute. We
found a small room for them
and provided money for food
and basic necessities. A fresh
claim for asylum was refused,
but Melanie was eventually
granted limited leave to remain
under Article 8 of the European
Convention on Human Rights,
which gives a right to family life.
However this was granted with
no recourse to public funds.
She has found a full time job
and with careful budgeting is
able rent her own flat. However
she does not receive the
benefits to which most single
mothers on her income are
entitled. Melanie is an excellent
mother, plays a full part in
the life of the community and
contributes generously to the
success of SWVG events. She
will have to apply for further
leave to remain at the end of
this year. Her salary will be
totally inadequate to meet
the fee of £649 which must
accompany her application and
the new government health levy
of £500. SWVG will help with
these fees.
AleshaAlesha fled Zimbabwe in
2003 as a result of political
violence caused by government
repression and persecution. Her
claim for asylum was refused,
her partner died and she and her
daughter Bella were referred to
SWVG, destitute and homeless.
Despite all the physical and
emotional trauma, Alesha has
always continued to study.
In September 2012 she started
a 3-year degree course at
Winchester University and in June
2015 celebrated the successful
completion of the course. She
started a one-year post-graduate
course in September.
She made a fresh claim for
asylum in 2012 and at the time
she was finishing her degree
she was informed her claim had
been refused. She currently
lives in NASS accommodation
with Bella but her future
is uncertain and insecure
whilst she tries to resolve the
problems of her status.
AmirAmir is a refused asylum
seeker in his mid 20s. He had
been sleeping on the sofa of
a family friend, on whom he
almost completely depended,
with no money of his own and
speaking no English. He feared
persecution, partly owing to
his intention to convert to
Christianity before leaving Iran.
SWVG have been supporting him
for just over a year, providing
a rented room and money for
his basic needs. His solicitor
has established that he has
learning difficulties and he is
now awaiting a final report that
will provide a specific diagnosis
that hopefully will support his
fresh claim.
Amir’s confidence and well being
have significantly improved
since he became our client and
he has thrived at Avenue St
Andrews drop-in centre. He has
joined the English conversation
class and he benefits from
informal language sessions with
an SWVG volunteer. He is now
a regular badminton player and
played a major role in the SWVG
summer barbecue. In October
he fulfilled a dream and was
baptised.
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Changing times
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Everyone will be aware that
the government has decided to
reduce the number of migrants,
including asylum seekers, who
come to the UK. It has set a
target of fewer than 100,000
migrants a year entering the UK
and seeks to deter people from
coming here by creating a hostile
environment for all migrants,
including asylum seekers. New
government policies are already
having a serious and detrimental
effect on the asylum seekers
and refugees who are our clients.
These changes are impacting on
our work.
No recourse to public fundsIn the past, clients with leave to
remain on human rights grounds
could work and receive benefits.
The new policy gives limited
leave to remain on human rights
grounds, but with no recourse
to public funds.
Renewal charges for leave to remain and the health levyIndividuals with limited leave
to remain have to re-apply for
renewal, usually every 2½
years. Many, like Melanie, will
find it impossible to pay
the new charges and SWVG
has decided, without setting a
precedent, to provide funds in
such cases.
Reduction in Home Office national asylum support payments for childrenThe Home Office used to pay
£36.95 per week to each
asylum seeker waiting for their
application to be decided and
£52.96 for each child. From
August 2015 the payments for
children have been reduced to
the same as the adult rate.
The Immigration Bill 2015This includes a proposal to
treat families in the same way
as individuals who have been
refused asylum and to withdraw
support in 28 days. Alesha and
her daughter are an example of a
family who, if this bill proceeds,
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could be placed in a detention
centre then deported to the
country from which they fled.
Immigration Act 2014 – the right to rentLandlords face severe penalties
if they rent a room to anyone
without the right to live in
the UK. SWVG pays rent to
several landlords to provide
accommodation for destitute
clients, but this legislation may
make it impossible for us to
support clients in this way. We
have sought legal clarification but
the position remains unclear.
Assisted voluntary returnThe Home Office operates an
assisted voluntary return scheme
for refused asylum seekers. It
is proposed to reduce and limit
this programme and to end the
contract with Refugee Action for
‘Choices’, a one-to-one interview
system enabling individuals to
explore the pros and cons of
return. The loss of this service
will have a detrimental effect on
some of our clients.
Behind the scenes
Raising funds to support our work Funds come from three main
sources – grants, donations and
events.
SWVG is very grateful to the
grant giving trusts who support
our work. Similarly, we are
indebted to local organisations,
including several churches, and
to individuals who support SWVG
with generous donations.
We also run our own fund raising
events throughout the year.
Recent events include:l Vanessa Redgrave’s third
appearance for SWVG, at the
Nuffield Theatre, Southampton;l Musicians Anca Campanie,
Frank Stack, Helena de Rijke
and Jennifer Porcas performing
at St. Joseph’s Church in
Southampton;l The Northwood String
Orchestra with the Concord
Singers’ fund raising concert
at Avenue St Andrews Church,
Southampton;l Winchester College staff
concert;
l Our annual fundraising
members’ night at the Bangkok
Brasserie;l Our annual ‘bucket rattle’
outside a Sainsbury’s store in
Southampton; l Members and supporters
own fund raising initiatives,
including sponsored swims,
participating in a half
marathon and a donation from
Southampton University’s
Archaeological Symposium.l Our annual sponsored walk in
October.
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How you can helpP Join us!
P Attend an event
P Run an event of your own
P If you order goods online, join
www.easyfundraising.org.uk
with SWVG as your chosen
charity. Companies you buy
goods from may make small
contributions to your charity
for each purchase.
P Make a one-off or regular
donation either on-line at
www.justgiving.com/swvg or
by emailing our treasurer:
Supporting our visitorsThe visitors’ role can be
demanding and at times
emotionally draining. We make
sure that all our visitors are
equipped by appropriate training
and have access to rigorous but
flexible support systems.
1. One-to-one support for
visitors: each is supported by
an experienced colleague who
acts as a mentor to provide
advice and support.
2. Mutual support is provided
through regular visitors’
meetings in small groups
where knowledge and
experiences are shared.
These ‘support groups’
provide opportunities for
ongoing training and raising
topical issues.
3. Use of larger groups for
initial training and use of
general meetings, held every
two months, where matters
of interest are discussed.
Ongoing training forms part of
many of the general meetings,
whilst some training, such as
legal updates, is offered in
separate workshops.
4. Partner organisations, such
as CLEAR, and other groups,
offer advice and practical
help, working as part of a
team to support asylum
seekers and refugees.
5. Always mindful of
confidentiality, visitors draw
on the emotional support of
families and friends and make
use of news and information
from the wider world.
Thank you...
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Thank you to all our members who are so generous with their time and commitment. They carry out a huge range of tasks to support the work of SWVG.
Thank you to our patrons Miriam Margolyes obe, John Pilkington and Shirley Firth for all their help and advice.
Thank you to the trusts who have made us grants this year; without their support SWVG would not be able to provide support for destitute asylum seekers in Southampton:
The Bromley TrustHelena Kennedy FoundationAl-Mizan Trust Methodist Fund for Human
NeedThe Tolkien TrustThe Observer Charitable
Trust Sheba Charitable TrustSt Clare and St Francis
TrustThe A B Charitable TrustThe Hilden Charitable FundThe 29th May 1961
Charitable Trust The Beatrice Laing TrustThe Allen Lane Foundation
Thanks too to the following organisations who generously donated to SWVG during the past year:
Bangkok BrasserieWinchester CollegeSt Lawrence ChurchGreening FulfloodWinchester URC coffee barSouthampton Relief in
NeedNorthwood OrchestraSt Matthews ChurchKingsworthy PCCJohn PilkingtonSt Matthew and St Paul
Thanks too to all those individuals who have made donations, attended our events, taken part in sponsored events or sponsored others on our behalf.
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Particular thanks to Vanessa Redgrave, Jennifer Wiltsie, Mike Outram and John Griffiths who gave their time without any charge to SWVG and provided such memorable performances that attracted large audiences and raised considerable funds. Thank you also to the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, who provided us with the use of their theatre, sold tickets and provided marketing support for our major event.
We give a huge thank you to Winchester College for the free use of halls for several of our events as
well as for collections that have been made after their own concerts. Their support and welcome is highly valued. Thank you to Miff Kayum who hosts our annual Members’ dinner at his Winchester restaurant, the Bangkok Brasserie.
Thank you to Stefan Lipa who provides us with fundraising advice and to Jo Renshaw of Turpin and Miller LLP who works so hard on behalf of SWVG and individual clients. We were very proud when she was made a Legal Aid Solicitor of the Year. Thanks too to Peter Casson who audits our accounts.
SWVG would not exist without their clients; thank you to them for their bravery, persistence and friendship in the light of all the difficulties that they face.
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PatronsShirley Firth
Miriam Margolyes obe
John Pilkington
Trustees
Claudia Glyn
Christine Knight
Anne Leeming (Chair)
Elizabeth Prescott-Decie
Angela Sealey
Sue Turner
Andrew White (Treasurer)
Nele van der Wielen
SecretaryJessica Hasan
AdministratorXanthe Hackett
Charity number1103093
AddressSouthampton and Winchester
Visitors Group
PO Box 1615
Southampton
SO17 3WF
Telephone0750 317 6350
Websitewww. swvg-refugees.org.uk
Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group
Annual Review 2014–15
www.swvg-refugees.org.uk