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:

treasurer@swvg-refugees.org.uk

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

Emailinfo@swvg-refugees.org.uk

Websitewww. swvg-refugees.org.uk

Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group

Annual Review 2014–15

www.swvg-refugees.org.uk