Purpose

The asylum-seeking families are, in the main,
newly arrived in the UK and have very few possessions so the
charities can help with providing essential and second hand
clothing, footwear and school uniforms. Asylum seekers are not
allowed to rent accommodation or to work (except in a restricted
number of occupations) and it is important that people have an
opportunity to undertake meaningful activities for mental wellbeing
and to contribute to society. To support community cohesion,
resilience work to strengthen relationships with the host community
can mitigate misinformation and create positive
relationships.

Content

The decision is to allocate £119,500
from the Asylum Dispersal Fund to provide support for 12 months to
up to 450 asylum seekers in a city centre Initial Accommodation
hotel which opened on 1 September 2023. The hotel is contracted by
the Home Office and staff are provided through this contract to
meet basic subsistence needs. This additional funding will be
allocated to voluntary sector organisations with experience of
working with asylum seekers to provide essential clothing, advice
and guidance, support to attend medical appointments and to
organise a weekly calendar of activities to harness community
offers of support. The funding allocations will be obtained in line
with financial and procurement regulations.
Further discussions will take place with stakeholders to develop a
local grants programme to encourage integration activities. Some
funding will be used for interpreting costs for local agencies
working with families.
This offer is complimented by support from statutory organisations:
The Haven Primary Care Service and Refugee Resettlement Team
organise initial triage days, the BCC Attendance and Belonging Team
will organise school places and the City of Bristol College will
register asylum seekers for English classes when they have been in
the UK for more than 6 months. Public Health convene weekly
partnership meetings to work with partners to meet needs and
mitigate risks as needed.