Services
This section provides information on different services and projects that aim to improve the experience of asylum seekers and refugees living in Newcastle.
Please note that this section does not aim to be comprehensive and is continually developing, so if you have any feedback please contact us. Details of specific organisations can be added to the 'Contacts' section of this guide.
Housing
Your Homes Newcastle
The Newcastle Asylum Seekers Unit, within Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) was established in December 1999 to deal directly with a contract that was signed with the Home Office to provide accommodation to asylum seekers dispersed to the city . Your Homes Newcastle is an arms length management organisation (ALMO) that looks after council homes in the city. The aims of the service are as follows:
- Provide accommodation and support when instructed by social services and manage contracted properties
- bring together the main service providers to minimise isolation and disadvantage for asylum seekers and refugees by ensuring that key support mechanisms are in place
- to work with local communities in a positive way in raising the awareness of issues affecting asylum seekers, integration and combating discriminatory practices especially racism
- provide and develop an intensive and comprehensive ‘Move On' facility for house holds with the right to remain in the UK
There are also 2 private accommodation providers: Angel Group and Jomast development.
Many organisations working with asylum seekers and refugees have reported that destitution is becoming more of a problem. In 2006 a report published by Open Door North East, an organisation providing accommodation for asylum seekers who have become destitute, estimated that there were more than 300 destitute asylum seekers in Newcastle with between 20 and 30 sleeping outdoors.
The West End Refugee Service (WERS) also works with destitute asylum seekers by making small emergency payments and providing food parcels, when funds allow.
Employment and training
In 2006 the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) published a report - Destination North East? Harnessing the Regional Potential of Migration - highlighting the barriers facing refugees looking for employment. As in other areas of the country, a number of barriers to employment exist, including: the lack of English language ability, government rules relating to asylum seekers and employment, and the non-recognition of qualifications. The research also indicates that there are high levels of self-sufficiency within the refugee population, but that access to finance and more practical support is needed in order to help the people fulfill their entrepreneurial potential.
The North of England Refugee Service (NERS) is working to overcome such barriers faced by the refugee community and has won a Home Office contract to deliver the Refugee Employment and Integration project in the North East. The project began in August 2008. The JET project also provides employment and training advice for refugees in Newcastle, as part of the New Deal for Communities.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has devised ‘North East Strategy to meet the Learning and Skills needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers'. The aim of this Strategy is to improve access to, and support for, the learning and skills needs of refugees and asylum seekers in North East England.
The Strategy's implementation group is chaired by the LSC Regional Director of Skills and its membership consists of representatives from organisations who have responsibilities for carrying out specific activities identified in the strategy. The strategy recognises the North East faces a declining and ageing population and states the need to:
‘...attract, retain and maximise the skills and contribution of refugees and migrants including supporting access to conversion of qualifications for refugees and other migrants and supporting ESOL for migrants'.
Health
The Medical Foundation opened a new centre in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 2005 to offer training to health professionals and others working with asylum seekers and refugees in the North East and to improve the mental wellbeing of survivors of torture. It also provides counseling to particularly vulnerable individuals with complex needs for whom a service is not available elsewhere.
In addition, a model of good practice is being developed with primary care mental health workers in the Newcastle Primary Care NHS Trust in working with torture survivors. At the end of the Department of Health-funded project, the model will be shared with primary care mental health workers across the UK.
The North East of England Public Health Observatory recently published a mapping report on the health of new arrivals to the North East of England entitled ‘Migrant Health in the North East of England'. The report shows that PCTs (primary care trusts) were generally found to be knowledgeable about asylum seekers and their health needs, especially in urban areas. Mental Health Trusts have identified the particular problems experienced by asylum seekers and refugees (and to a lesser extent other migrants) as:
- anxiety
- depression
- suicidal thoughts and actions
- survivors guilt
- post-traumatic stress
Integration
There are several RCOs (refugee community organisations) and as well as statutory bodies in Newcastle supporting refugees and asylum seekers and facilitating integration.
The North of England Refugee Service (NERS) is the largest RCO working in Newcastle and offers a wide range of practical support services to asylum seekers in many areas: employment, training, volunteering, youth activities, mentoring and community participation.
The NERS Community Integration Project (CIP) promotes integration and bridges the gap between refugees and local communities across the North East.
NERS also runs the Youth Integration Project (YIP) that enables young refugees and asylum seekers to build new lives in the region though volunteering, peer group work and a range of integrated activities.
Regional Refugee Forum (RRF) North East is a membership organisation for RCOs with about 60 active members, 80% of which are based in Newcastle. The organisation's membership, includes Ethiopian, Congolese, Iranian and Bosnia & Herzegovinian community groups, all working to support the refugee and asylum seeking communities.
The voluntary sector has dealt effectively with the challenges faced by asylum seekers and refugees in Newcastle and has been quick to respond to their needs. This work is well-coordinated and there is shared learning between local Refugee Community Organisations RCOs (ippr, 2005).
In October 2007 Newcastle City Council published its first Community Cohesion Strategy. This strategy recognises the importance of equality, trust in local institutions, integration and meaningful interaction between all sections of the community. The strategy aims to support agencies that promote community cohesion and make it an integral part of their policies and practice.
Capacity Building
Regional Refugee Forum (RRF) North East is a membership organisation for RCOs (refugee community organisations) with about 60 active members, 80% of which are based in Newcastle. RRF North East works to build the capacity of RCOs in the region and is also involved in policy and campaigning work.
The organisation delivers unique support services directly to RCOs. The ‘Support for Community Action Project' (SCAP) has recently been established for the North East Region. There are four full time community development workers to provide capacity building and up-skilling for RCOs across the region. Its aim is to enable individuals and groups of individuals from these communities to identify their needs and meet these needs with appropriate and sustainable solutions through intensive one to one support from the SCAP Team staff and tailored learning modules/knowledge packages.
The Basis Project is an England-wide project that is a partnership between the Refugee Council and Refugee Action that works in the area of capacity building. Organisational Development Officers have been appointed to each of the nine English regions and give one-to-one support to help RCOs manage and sustain their work. In the North East of England the Organisational Development Officer is based in the Refugee Council's Leeds' office.
Community Cohesion
Newcastle Council is working to tackle racist harassment by supporting people who have experienced harassment through the Racial Harassment Prevention Team and by funding other organisations that provide advice and support. The council also is a key partner in ARCH (Agencies against Racist Crimes and Harassment) a multi-agency partnership which works to combat racial harassment and hate crime. This partnership works to tackle racist harassment by:
- providing education and training to staff, schools and community groups
- making it easier to report harassment by providing a 24 hour telephone line
- creating 140 racist incident reporting centres across the city
Newcastle City Council has also developed a Race Equality Scheme to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different racial backgrounds
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Last Updated: 25/02/10
