We have identified a hotel in Birmingham city where asylum seekers are being accommodated while their asylum claims grind slowly through the Home Office system. The housing conditions are poor and because the hotel provides food, the residents do not have any financial support. It is bleak.
We have started setting up a number of stalls once a month to provide clean clothes and essentials for them and their families. Through our partnership network we are also getting people signed up for language teaching and acccommodation support.
We are working with local asylum seekers from Iran who have become regular volunteers for Refugee Support.
The UK government is doing a poor job of supporting asylum seekers so we will be expanding what we are doing in Birmingham together with our community of local helpers.
