Asylum Seekers Resources
Across the UK, the Government has contracted with Migrant Help, under the name of Asylum Help, to deliver independent advice and guidance to asylum seekers. They can now assist in taking details of faults in asylum accommodation and raise this with the housing contractors. There is no Asylum Help office in the east of England, although their staff deliver an outreach service to vulnerable clients who are housed in the region. Please follow this link for details of the services provided by Asylum Help: Migrant Help Asylum Service
In the East of England, there are a number of agencies which work directly with Asylum Seekers and Refugees - see also the page on refugee resettlement for casework teams for that programme:
Bedford
Bedfordshire Refugee & Asylum Seekers Support - http://www.brassbedford.org.uk/
Yarls Wood Befrienders - http://www.ywbefrienders.org/
Cambridge
Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum - http://www.cecf.co.uk/joomla2/index.php/advice-and-support
Ipswich
Suffolk Refugee Support - http://www.suffolkrefugee.org.uk/
Luton
British Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Refugee-support/Our-services-for-refugees 232 Dunstable Road, LU4 8JL t: 0844 412 2772
Refugee Council Children's Panel - Refugee Children's Panel Voluntary Resource Centre, 15 New Bedford Road LU1 1SA t: 0207 346 1136
Norwich
British Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Refugee-support/Our-services-for-refugees 11 Prince of Wales Road NR1 1BD t: 01603 623041
The Bridge Plus - http://www.bridgeplus.org.uk/
Peterborough
British Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Refugee-support/Our-services-for-refugees Crescent House 1st Floor, 46 Priestgate PE1 1LF
Legal Aid Immigration Advice
Legal Aid Immigration Advice is almost only available to asylum seekers.
In the east of England, there are multiple Legal Aid contractors in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire as follows:Abbott Solicitors, Davjunnel Solicitors, Duncan Lewis Solicitors Ltd, Luton Law Centre, Rodman Pearce Solicitors Ltd, Solomon Solicitors, Sping and Co Solicitors Ltd and Woolfe and Co Solicitors Ltd.
In Essex there is Fisher Jones Greenwood in Colchester and Chelmsford - http://www.fjg.co.uk/.
In Cambridgeshire, All Legal Solicitors who work out of Peterborough.
Solomon Solicitors in Bedfordshire is also providing an outreach service to Ipswich via Suffolk Refugee Support and to Norwich via the Red Cross. Rodman Pearce is providing an outreach service via the Red Cross in Peterborough. Duncan Lewis are assisting Norfolk County Council's legal advice for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Integration Up North - Guidance Booklets
This series of 11 booklets provide an introduction to migration in the UK, on a theme by theme basis and should be useful for those working with migrant communities in the public sector. Please follow this link to access the booklets: Integration Up North booklets