What you can do to help Bristol’s refugees

Thousands of people have marched through Bristol in a show of solidarity towards refugees, convoys of drivers are taking supplies to the Jungle camp in Calais and drop-off points for donations across the city have been swamped.

But with so much goodwill the drop-off donation points have now closed indefinitely so more can you do to help?

Pamela Parkes meets some of the charities working with refugees in Bristol and finds out what you can do to support refugees in the long-term.

Drop-in centres operate across Bristol offering refugees support, counselling, hot meals and clothes

For many refugees, when they first arrive in Bristol, drop-in sessions hosted by groups such as Refugee Action are a life line. The charity works with around 2,000 people in the city who are going through the asylum process and the sessions act as both an information point and a social gathering.

However, demand for the services provided by Refugee Action are increasing by the hour, according to operations manager Qerim Nuredini. Refugee charities have gone through major funding cuts over the years and he says welcoming more refugees must come with increased financial support otherwise the service will not be able to cope with the pressure.

Operations manager for Refugee Action Qerim Nuredini says the are operating on a shoestring budget

He warns that systems need to be in place to support vulnerable Syrian refugees when they arrive: “There are lots of calls for spare rooms and that is not a solution – people do not just need a spare room and a bed to sleep in – there are a lot of needs that people may have especially vulnerable people.

“We are running our services on a shoestring and we do need help from people. We don’t need material help like clothes or toys – we need people to support our campaigns and donate to our charities.”

Even when refugees arrive safely in Bristol, loneliness and isolation can be overwhelming and learning to fit in and make friends can be challenging. Charities like Bridges for Communities, set up five years ago by Dan Green, helps to break down prejudice between people and communities.

“We are challenging stereotypes,” Dan says. 

Dan Green from Bridges for Communities wants to break down the stereotypes that people associate with refugees

The St Philips-based charity hosts Peace Feasts which brings together refugees and Bristolians. “We get together round food. People meet and share dinner, but more importantly they learn about one another.

“We believe that giving people the opportunity to meet and build friendships is the best way to change perceptions and challenge wrong perceptions. “

“People have the opportunity to hear a different point of view – occasionally it is challenging to hear from someone who has a different point of view to yourself but people do appreciate it.”

The charity has already expanded to Cardiff and Nottingham and runs a number of different programs to support refugees.

B.friend founder Sam Sayer links up volunteers and isolated refugees who need support and friendship

One of those projects is b.friend which was set up by Sam Sayer. The charity links up refugees in Bristol with a trained volunteer mentor and actively encourages friendships to develop.

“When I started b.friend I was working at Refugee Action and I was meeting people time and again who knew no one in the city who they could go and see,” says Sam. “There was no one they could relate to and the loneliness and isolation that people were experiencing was huge.

“If you come from Somalia the chances are you will already be connected with other people, but if you come from certain other places and, if you have arrived on your own, then you may know nobody else.”

Sam has trained 90 volunteers at b.friend and says what you get out of being a volunteer outweighs what you put in: “It’s not just about the person who is being befriended – the volunteers gain so much as well – the partnerships that have formed are incredible.

“Some people have adopted each other – there are partnerships which began four years ago and they still meet up and have meals in each other’s homes and it has become a friendship.

The struggle to fit in with life in Bristol does not end for many people even when they get their leave to remain.

Julie Linter works for the Bristol Red Cross which is based in Easton. The charity looks after people who need help with the next stage of their lives: “Once they are granted leave to remain people have to move out of Home Office accommodation and any financial support stops.”

The charity steps in and helps people find their way round the benefits system, finding accommodation and arranging education.

Julie Linter from the Red Cross says they need volunteers who can commit to helping refugees

The charity also runs the International Family Tracing Service, which helps refugees make contact with family they may have left behind and makes arrangements for close family to come to the UK once a person has refugee status.

“We are always looking for volunteers,” says Julie. “We do struggle to find people who have the commitment to give to us. It takes time to train people up and the work that they do is not the easiest. You need good listening skills, have compassion and patience to wade through quagmire, think on your feet and navigate through the systems.”

Members of the Bristol Hospitality Network run drop-in sessions and open their homes to refugees (L to R Emmanuel Adim, Rev Philip Nott, Rachael Bee, James Jatta and Emmanuel Nsofua)

While the Syrians who come to the UK will be granted automatic refugee status, for many other nationalities the process can be heart breaking.

The Bristol Hospitality Network can be the last resort for many refugees who have had their asylum claims refused. The charity believes there are around 100 to 150 people in Bristol who have been left destitute, with nowhere to live after their case has been turned down.

The network has eight host families in Bristol who open up their home and offer accommodation to refugees who have been refused right to remain. Since 2009 the charity has hosted 93 people.

“The majority of the people we host have a real reason for leaving their country in the first place and their life is at risk, but they have not been able to prove that claim to the Home Office,” says one of the founders of the project, Racheal Bee. “Just because they haven’t been able to prove it does not mean it is the right decision.”

Racheal says the decision can be as arbitrary as getting an unsympathetic judge: “I could walk into a court and tell you which judge will say no and which judge will say yes for the same case – that system is not OK.”

In many cases, once people are accommodated they can help them piece their claim together again and they get their case accepted.

“We are always looking for new hosts,” says Racheal, but she explains that it’s not for every family.  “It’s really best they don’t have little children…stability is what is needed and people need to be able to offer more than three months accommodation and people need to live in Bristol so refugees can access support. If people can meet those criteria then get in touch.”

But you don’t have to open up your home to make a difference says Racheal. “We also need English language teaching assistants, you could be part of the kitchen team cooking a hot meal every Monday and we also need link team volunteers who support host families – there are lots of different volunteering opportunities.”

Without the help of volunteers Katie Hope from Bristol Refugee Rights says they couldn’t offer their drop-in services which provides hundreds of refugees with help and support, a ‘free’ shop, hot meals, English classes and a crèche three times a week at the Malcolm X centre in St Paul’s. 

Volunteers come in all forms from barbers offering free haircuts to people cooking meals and running a free shop on site. The organisation has around 90 volunteers working for them but the need to so great they are always looking for more help. 

“We need help little and often,” says Katie. “While the outpouring of compassion we have seen is fantastic we need donations to come in throughout the year.

“At the moment we need warm winter clothes and men’s shoes, food and regular funding so we know how much money we have coming in every month.”

Find out more about the Aid Box Convoy

More information on other ways you can help with the refugee crisis.

Photo credits: Pamela Parkes and Bristol Refugee Rights