Did you know there has been a 239% increase in homelessness among asylum seekers evicted from Home Office accommodation in two years?Levels of homelessness amongst displaced people are higher than ever before as, in August 2023, the Home Office began giving people only 7 days to find onward accommodation once they were granted their status.Whilst the Home Office have reverted back to the 28 day policy, changes to processing have meant, in practice, just a week or two is often being afforded once refugees receive notice of their leave to remain, rapidly increasing the risk of street homelessness.This fund will allow the team at Conversation Over Borders to offer support to members of our community that are facing destitution.Donations will be used to provide short-term shelter to particularly vulnerable people who would otherwise be street homeless whilst we work on connecting them to more secure housing and services that will support them in their next steps.Any amount, big or small, will go a long way in helping us provide this kind of support to our clients.Thank you for your support and for being a part of our community!

British Pound

Refugee Destitution Fund

Did you know that asylum seekers and refugees are 5 times more likely than the general public to struggle with their mental health, but far less likely to access support?Difficult living conditions, social isolation, trauma and being unable to access paid employment contribute to mental health struggles amongst people fleeing war and persecution.At the same time, culturally relevant and trauma-informed mental health support is difficult to come by. At Conversation Over Borders, we are striving to change this. The Refugee Wellbeing Project is a lifeline for people who have newly arrived in the UK, are far from friends and family and have experienced traumatic events. Our groups and 1-1s are led by individuals with lived experience of displacement, providing culturally sensitive support in our community&#x27;s first languages.&quot;It gives us a space to talk, what problem we have, what we are facing and it’s special because most of them are new here, in the UK: from the Facilitator, from me, to most of them, and we are learning from each other.&quot;Our team are once again training hard ahead of the Brighton 10km to raise money for Conversation Over Borders&#x27; Refugee Wellbeing Project, which supports refugees and asylum seekers across the UK with peer mental health support groups and 1-1 counselling in English, Arabic, Ukrainian and Farsi.Our goal is to raise £2,500 - £1,000 of which is being generously match-funded by our partners at Enjoolata Foundation!In previous years, your support has meant we have been able to hire psychologists from our community to deliver support in our client&#x27;s first languages.&quot;I feel happy with my life, compared to 2 months ago I feel 100% better mentally. I feel happy and I am very grateful to all the friends at Conversation Over Borders for their help during this time.“I feel like I am with my family in the group. I feel confident and people understand me.Thanks to our partners at Enjoolata Foundation, your donations are match-funded - doubling its impact.<h2>Join us in standing with &amp; welcoming refugees! Thank you.</h2>

Team COB run the Brighton 10km

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Colette Batten-Turner

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Refugee Destitution Fund

Team COB run the Brighton 10km