Refugee Friends’ Hardship Fund

In light of the global coronavirus pandemic, JRS UK has taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend our weekly drop-in Day Centre.  We have set up a new Emergency Response Team to distribute food parcels and hygiene packs to the most vulnerable refugee friends we support, taking the essential help from our Day Centre out onto the road.

JRS UK must now turn to new and creative ways to continue to accompany, serve and advocate for our refugee friends, but this requires extra funding and support which is why we have set up our refugee friends’ hardship fund.

Donate to our hardship fund now

While the world retreats into their homes to wait out this pandemic, our refugee friends are still experiencing many of the difficulties as a result of being destitute. The effects of social distancing, remote working and the temporary closure of face-to-face services will leave our refugee friends feeling even more isolated and afraid, and more in need of practical support than ever.

This is why it is so important that, with your help, JRS UK continues to support refugees as best we can adapting and responding as the public health guidance demands.

By donating today you will help us to fund our Emergency Response Team which continues this vital support by:

• Distributing emergency hardship grants remotely and through our emergency deliveries
• Delivering food parcels – those with little money cannot afford to stockpile and now find themselves without essentials
• Distributing mobile phone top-ups to combat the isolation, wherever possible
• Delivering toiletries for hygiene and to help combat the virus.
• Offering proactive phone support, reaching out to isolated refugee friends, including those in immigration detention, connecting them with our team of staff and volunteers to provide updates, friendship and advice
• Providing legal advice for their case via our dedicated legal team, over the phone, email, and post; continuing to move forward their claims and clarifying their access to other services in this difficult time
• Helping our most vulnerable friends, due to age and health, avoid street homeless and shield themselves from the spread of the virus through advice, referrals and support
• Providing ongoing support to hosts in our ‘At Home’ scheme who are currently housing a refugee friend who would otherwise be homeless
• Finding new creative ways to connect and maintain a sense of community with our refugee friends over the phone