NACCOM and Asylum Matters have produced a joint briefing, which has been sent to Local Authorities, on preventing evictions into homelessness from asylum accommodation during COVID-19 and beyond. In March, with the onset of the pandemic and as the country was put into lockdown due to COVID-19, […]
The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report into the Home’s Office’s asylum accommodation and AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) contracts, after it transitioned to them in September 2019. NACCOM and other sector partners welcome the report after flagging up concerns about both contracts’ performance, […]
Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees. This year’s Refugee Week, which took place between June 15th and June 21st, asked us to #Imagine a better world for refugees, and to undertake a series of simple acts that would bring […]
In this guest blog from a new host with NACCOM member Action Foundation in Newcastle, we hear from Helen*, who writes an honest, funny, poignant and thoughtful account of her and her family’s experience welcoming their first guest into their home – just as lockdown was announced. […]
The NACCOM team continues to monitor national and sector advice relating to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) that is already in the public domain, and want where possible to signpost you to the most appropriate sources of general advice available, while at the same time drawing some specific points […]
Today (March 19th 2020), over 70 leading charities, organisations and individuals that provide essential services for people who are destitute and homeless because of their migration status are calling on the Government to take urgent action, as the Covid-19 crisis escalates. In a letter addressed to the […]
Our Campaigns and Policy Coordinator, Jessie Seal, gives us an update on some key advocacy activity and developments from the last few weeks. Joint campaigns: #LiftTheBan This week, the #LiftTheBan coalition held their first meeting since the start of the new parliament. Some incredible work has been […]
The Church of England has launched a competition to support five church-led projects that are looking to build community and empower people, whilst also meeting an identified housing need. Applicants are invited from churches of all denominations that are actively exploring the possibility of a small-scale housing […]
On International Women’s Day 2020 (#IWD2020), we’re sharing the story of Leah, who spoke to us about her experiences as a woman left destitute by the UK asylum system. My name is Leah. I’m a destitute asylum seeker. I live in Nottingham. I would like to share […]
Nearly all new refugees in the UK experience a period of destitution after they have been granted status, as asylum support ends 28 days on from a positive decision, whilst the first payment of Universal Credit is not made for 35 days. This “in-built” period where no […]
In this month’s guest blog, staff at Action Foundation in Newcastle tell us how providing health pop-up sessions at their regular InterAction drop-ins is helping to transform access to healthcare and wellbeing services for their service users. InterAction’s Drop-in Manager Kate Townsend explains more about the initiative. […]
NACCOM has submitted evidence to the National Audit Office’s inquiry into Universal Credit, and the five-week wait to receive the first payment. Jessie Seal, our Campaigns and Policy Coordinator, explains why it’s vital that the Government provides a joined-up asylum and benefits system that doesn’t put newly […]
The charity Women for Refugee Women has released some important new research looking into the experiences of asylum-seeking women in the UK. The new report, Will I ever be safe? Asylum-seeking women made destitute in the UK, features evidence from partners across the UK including NACCOM member […]
NACCOM founder and Network Development Worker Dave Smith is retiring from the charity, 13 years after he started the network as an informal coalition of projects in 2006. NACCOM now has a network of 110 member projects all across the UK, which last year accommodated 3,211 people […]
Whatever the outcome of today’s General Election, NACCOM is asking the next Government to adopt these key policies to #EndDestitution amongst people seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants with no recourse to public funds. Hazel Williams, NACCOM’s National Director, commented: “Destitution has a devastating impact on the […]
Night shelters were the fastest growing accommodation type in the NACCOM network last year, increasing by 33% from 9 in 2017 to 12 in 2018. One Roof Leicester joined NACCOM in 2017. We hear how their winter night shelter provision works alongside their year-round housing project to […]
NACCOM is one of 120 charities to call for urgent action to be taken to review “severe failures” in the new Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility Assistance (AIRE) contract, which delivers asylum support. In a joint letter sent to the Minister for Safeguarding and Vulnerability, Victoria Atkins […]
NACCOM is pleased to launch our new Housing Toolkit – a comprehensive resource for existing and proposed housing projects that accommodate destitute people who are seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants. The toolkit is the latest in a series of practical guides launched by NACCOM to provide […]
Thanks to a successful funding bid, NACCOM and Wellspring Therapy and Training are able to offer volunteers of NACCOM member projects a free two day Mental Health First Aid Course in Sheffield. When and where The course will be delivered by Wellspring Therapy and Training and will […]
NACCOM has joined with 37 other organisations working in the migration and refugee sector to send an open, joint letter to the new Home Secretary, Priti Patel, outlining the current pressing issues within the UK immigration and asylum system. The letter has been coordinated by IMIX, and […]
To coincide with World Refugee Day, NACCOM has launched its Mind the Gap – One Year On report, which builds on findings published in June 2018 that made a direct link between Home Office policy and the high prevalence of homelessness among refugees in the UK. Details from […]
Areej Osman, placement administrator and former guest of UK-wide hosting scheme, Refugees at Home, was invited to an early screening of the first two episodes of Home, a new Channel 4 comedy series that was aired for the first time last night. Below she shares her views […]
Salma Ravat is the manager of One Roof Leicester (ORL), a NACCOM member in the Midlands working to reduce homelessness in their local community. One Roof runs a winter night shelter alongside a year-round housing scheme. As the winter draws to an end, we caught up with […]
This month’s Member Spotlight comes from Constance Nash. As an individual NACCOM member, she has been a volunteer with another NACCOM member, Refugees at Home, and the coordinator of a local refugee support group in Dorking, since 2015. As Constance enjoys encouraging others to get involved in hosting […]
The Immigration White Paper was released on 19th December 2018, setting out the Government’s plans for implementing the UK’s immigration system in light of the planned exit from the European Union. Most of its emphasis is on creating a skills based system of entry for those not […]
Today the British Red Cross releases ‘Still An Ordeal’, examining the experiences of new refugees who face destitution after moving on from asylum support. The report concludes that the 28-day move-on period ‘is leaving refugees on the brink of extreme poverty.’ Below we share a summary of […]
The Boaz Trust have been running a night shelter in Manchester for ten years now as part of their work to end destitution amongst people seeking sanctuary in the UK. As well as directly delivering life saving accommodation and support, in 2017-18 they worked with other NACCOM members to […]
Earlier this month, ministers announced the scrapping of proposed changes to the provision of ‘supported housing’, in a move that has been welcomed by many in the homelessness sector following years of uncertainty and months of lobbying. In the press release on 9th August, Housing Minister Kit […]
A debate on the issue of Homelessness Amongst Refugees has been tabled for next Tuesday (17th July) from 2.30-4.00pm. We need your help to encourage as many MPs as possible to attend. Homelessness amongst newly recognised refugees is a significant problem that relates directly to government policy […]
Several NACCOM members are recruiting at the moment, please see below for details and contact the organisations directly for further information. Abigail Housing- Volunteer Co-ordinator (CP24: £21,962* (pro rata for 20 hrs per week) Abigail Housing provides supported housing to individuals at the end of the asylum process. This includes new […]
