Community Group supporting asylum seekers and refugees. Support with housing, benefits and work. Drop-in on Mondays.
We are a Christian charity (Registered Charity: 1183290) that seeks to enhance the lives of all people in the Handforth, Wilmslow and Knutsford areas. Our services include:
Hope Centres – Our Hope Centres offer further support to help address the root causes of poverty. They are held weekly at St. Cross Knutsford (Monday), Lacey Green (Tuesday), St. Chad’s Handforth (Thursday) and Open Arms, Colshaw Farm, Wilmslow (Friday).
1) English Lessons: We offer 3x/week language lessons (Wed/Thus/Fri) for those who want to practice their conversational English. These free one-hour lessons are both fun and interactive, and we welcome new learners into our community.
2) Foodbank – We provide food parcels to those in need in both the Knutford and Wilmslow/Handforth areas.
3) Community (via our Hope Centres) – Our Hope Centres run weekly and are free for anyone to drop in. They provide a warm, welcoming community and a delicious free lunch!
4) Debt Centre – Our Debt Centre covers the SK9 and WA16 postcode areas. We work in partnership with Christians Against Poverty to offer a free, friendly service to support you out of debt. CAP is an award-winning debt counselling services which sees thousands of people break free from debt every year.
5) Job Centre – Hope Central works in partnership with Christians Against Poverty to bring you Steps to Employment – a free 8-week course which will equip you with the tools you need to find employment, from CV writing skills to interview techniques. Throughout the course you will learn what your strengths are and what you would like to do going forwards.
6) Money Skills – Hope Central runs two courses, Life Skills and the Money Course, in partnership with Christians Against Poverty, which provide ideas about how to make the most of your finances.
7) Fresh Start Course – Fresh Start is aimed at discovering and addressing the root causes of dependency, setting achievable goals and working with a coach in order to break free. This eight-week course is completely confidential, building up an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect for each group member. Trained coaches come alongside delegates and help them to achieve their goals and provide support throughout the week.
RAIS is a local charity which provides advocacy, information and support services to refugees and asylum seekers living in Lancaster and Morecambe. All of our staff and volunteers have experience helping asylum seekers and refugees in our city and are committed to welcoming and supporting them.
WHAT WE DO
Drop-in for information and support
RAIS runs a twice-weekly drop-in for refugees and asylum seekers at The Cornerstone, Sulyard Street, Lancaster LA1 1PX on Mondays and Thursdays from 3.00 until 5.00 p.m.
We also have a drop-in in Morecambe at Bare Methodist Church, Seaborn Road, Morecambe LA4 6BB on Fridays from 2.30 until 4.30 p.m.
At the drop-ins, we can explain official correspondence from the Home Office and other agencies.
We can provide information on matters including housing, benefits, employment, education, family reunion and applying for indefinite leave to remain. We will refer or signpost to other professional agencies for advice where appropriate.
All enquiries and any information given to us are treated in the strictest confidence. We never pass on information to other people or agencies without the enquirer’s permission.
Our immigration solicitor, Susan Liew is available for legal advice. To make an appointment please call 07731 552259 at the times stated below, or use our contact page. (If you cannot travel to the Cornerstone, we can arrange a telephone appointment.)
Helpline 07731 552259
Our helpline is open Monday – Thursday, 10.00 – 12.00. Asylum seekers, refugees and volunteers are welcome to call us if you think we may be able to help.
Advocacy and additional support
We can provide advocacy for refugees in dealing with various agencies and organisations. Our volunteers can accompany people to appointments, and help with form-filling, applications etc.
If you think we can help then come to the drop-in, call the Helpline, or contact us via our website.
BRASS is a registered charity providing befriending and support services for refugees, asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers living in Bolton.
- Specialised advice on immigration and asylum, citizenship and rights under the law.
- Support and information to access public services e.g. Health, Housing, statutory agencies etc.
- English classes with trained ESOL tutors and volunteers.
- Workshops to promote understanding of UK life, rights and responsibilities and community participation.
- Opportunities, training and support to develop skills as peer supporters and volunteers.
- Support to move into employment through skills development, job search, CV writing and confidence building.
- Reducing isolation and promoting well-being through creative, fitness, healthy eating and group activities and drop-in and befriending services.
- Signposting to appropriate agencies and organisations, locally and nationally.
RAIS is a local charity which provides advocacy, information and support services to refugees and asylum seekers living in Lancaster and Morecambe. All of our staff and volunteers have experience of helping asylum seekers and refugees in our city, and are committed to welcoming and supporting them.
WHAT WE DO:
Drop-in for information and support. RAIS runs a twice-weekly drop-in for refugees and asylum seekers at The Cornerstone, Sulyard Street, Lancaster LA1 1PX on Mondays and Thursdays from 3.00 until 5.00 p.m.
We also have a drop-in in Morecambe at Bare Methodist Church, Seaborn Road, Morecambe LA4 6BB on Fridays from 2.30 until 4.30 p.m.
At the drop-ins, we can explain official correspondence from the Home Office and other agencies.
We can provide information on matters including housing, benefits, employment, education, family reunion and applying for indefinite leave to remain. We will refer or signpost to other professional agencies for advice where appropriate.
All enquiries and any information given to us are treated in the strictest confidence. We never pass on information to other people or agencies without the enquirer’s permission.
Our immigration solicitor, Susan Liew is available for legal advice. To make an appointment please call 07731 552259 at the times stated below, or use our contact page. (If you cannot travel to the Cornerstone, we can arrange a telephone appointment.)
Helpline 07731 552259. Our helpline is open Monday – Thursday, 10.00 – 12.00. Asylum seekers, refugees and volunteers are welcome to call us if you think we may be able to help.
Advocacy and additional support
We can provide advocacy for refugees in dealing with various agencies and organisations. Our volunteers can accompany people to appointments, and help with form-filling, applications etc.
If you think we can help then come to the drop-in, call the Helpline, or contact us via our website.
Migrant Help has core services.
- Asylum Support – Those seeking asylum in the UK can seek help by applying for accommodation and financial support, reporting issues with asylum accommodation and any other advice needed during their asylum journey. Migrant Help also provides support during the post-decision period, whether the decision has been positive or negative.
- Victims of Slavery and Human Trafficking Support – Provide specialist support and accommodation to survivors and their dependents. Build support plans and facilitate access to key services in order to empower their clients.
We offer our ESOL Course at entry 1 – level 1 and we also have a Health and Social Care Course available. Also, we provide welfare benefits advice and basic IT Support for people with little to no experience with computers. We also have a work club where we support people create/update their CV’s, help people apply for jobs and prepare for interviews.
Class times:
Entry 1: 9:30AM – 12:00PM from Monday – Thursday
Entry 2: 12:00PM to 2:30PM from Monday – Thursday
Entry 3: 9:15AM to 11:45AM from Tuesday – Friday
Level 1: 12:15PM to 2:45PM from Tuesday – Friday
We are a local inner city church with a large migrant, asylum seeker and refugee community. We have developed a lot of experience in helping those communities in practical, community and spiritual ways. We also have close links to Kairos Housing and meet in the same building as the ARC Project Blackburn although these are separate charities.