Seeking Sanctuary Wales

Building a nation of sanctuary

Our Partnership with Oasis Cardiff

Oasis and Housing Justice Cymru are two established organisations with proven models to support sanctuary seekers and people experiencing homelessness in Wales. We’ve joined together under National Lottery funding to build on our current work to develop our community hosting and refugee lodging projects, expand the support, assistance and advice available to people seeking sanctuary, and increase our capacity to provide community-led activities.

What is the project?

The project builds on the proven models of support for sanctuary seekers in Wales provided by Housing Justice and Oasis. The overarching aim is to support people to progress

from homelessness, destitution, and isolation to > sustained housing, stabilised immigration status and community belonging.

The key areas of the project are:

Providing safe accommodation options through a volunteer hosting model for destitute migrants and Refugee Lodgings model for newly granted refugees.
Providing people seeking sanctuary with advice, support and practical assistance.
Developing community integration activities, peer-led workshops and social support.

Housing Justice is a homelessness charity working across England and Wales to support people experiencing homelessness through community-driven solutions. Through the established hosting model, Housing Justice facilitates transitional hosting placements with volunteer hosts in the community and sanctuary seekers facing destitution. The Refugee Lodgings project facilitates short term lodgings placements with Resident Landlords and newly granted Refugees.

Oasis is a community centre offering a warm Welsh welcome to people seeking sanctuary. The established model provides a range of holistic, free services on a drop-in basis including practical assistance to secure legal representation. Through the project, this will be expanded as Oasis works towards acquiring Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) accreditation to enable them to provide Immigration Advice to support people seeking sanctuary to navigate the legal system and progress with their immigration applications.

By bringing these models together and strengthening areas of our work, we will have more capacity and resources to provide proactive homelessness support and accommodation provision, legal and immigration casework assistance, and inclusive, community-led activities workshops. Housing Justice and Oasis are grateful to the National Lottery for funding this vital work.

Why is the project needed?

The reality of seeking sanctuary in the UK is not easy. People who have fled war, persecution or trafficking, find themselves having to navigate extremely complex legal and public systems. The immigration process is often lengthy, traumatic and arduous. Sometimes people seeking sanctuary find themselves without access to public funds and at risk of street homelessness, or vulnerable to forms of modern slavery and exploitation.

Without safe accommodation and community support, the risks to their wellbeing and safety increase significantly. The opportunity to have somewhere safe and stable to stay, and to access essential advice and support, provides the space for people to start to tackle their other challenges. It is often the stepping stone needed to move on to longer term, sustainable outcomes.

Who is the project for?

People seeking sanctuary, particularly those who are destitute and are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness
People seeking sanctuary in need of some support or advice, or who want to be more connected with their community.
Community members who want to, and are able to, be part of a community-focused solution to housing by offering a spare room and stability, safety and security to someone.