Community hosting in the West Midlands
Esther Bakari
Local ‘micro-charities’ are often almost invisible due to the less rigorous reporting requirements of the charity commission for smaller charities. They represent 82 percent of the number of charities in the UK, but only five percent of the sector’s income. In the midst of the ongoing controversy concerning migrants seeking haven in the UK, a number of small, volunteer led community-based organisations have emerged. These organisations provide emergency housing and create social projects for destitute, undocumented migrants, but have received very little attention in the literature about voluntary action or in policy discussions. In this post, guest blogger Esther Bakari looks at the efforts of one particular local charity in the West Midlands, Birmingham Community Hosting Network (Birch).
Birch was founded in 2011, and through its network of volunteer hosts, has provided more than 9000 nights of accommodation to individuals experiencing destitution in their journey through the asylum process. Birch is one of several charities which operate in the West Midlands to relieve the destitution of asylum seekers whose support and accommodation from the Home Office has been cut off. These charities work under the national ‘umbrella’ organisation that is NACCOM (No Accommodation Network). NACCOM seeks to collectively campaign to alleviate destitution amongst asylum seekers and refugees. Over the past eight years, their hosting network has accommodated numerous asylum seekers with the generosity of volunteer hosts. Furthermore, Birch have also introduced their ongoing Meet and Greet project and Family Befriending scheme as a means to further integrate asylum seekers into community-based activities.
Primarily, Birch is a volunteer-led charity which relies upon individuals who willingly share their time and homes in order to support migrants. It is often a large commitment bestowed upon individuals who do decide to open their home to host a guest (asylum seeker). There is a minimum requirement that hosts should have a spare room with a bed, bedding and the capacity to provide food towards the guest’s daily needs. Birch employees ensure that there is ongoing support provided for both the host and guest. And if at any time the host-guest relationship appears to not be working, Birch employees work to relocate the guest. At the start of the New Year (2019), seven individuals were being hosted by Birch volunteers in Birmingham.
Additionally, a number of voluntary and statutory organisations such as the British Red Cross and the Refugee & Migrant Centre, refer asylum seekers to Birch’s hosting scheme. Although self-referrals are also accepted. Due to the high demand for placements, appeals are frequently made to the public to encourage them to become hosts. Similarly, appeals are made to encourage members of the public to partake in the Family Befriending scheme.
Birch’s Family Befriending Project matches young refugees (aged 16–25) with volunteer families or individuals who offer to share a weekly or fortnightly meal with them. The young refugees who benefit from this project have all come to the UK alone without their families and the majority are care leavers. They benefit from being welcomed into a family environment and feeling less isolated. As with the volunteer host position, there is a commitment on behalf of the family befrienders to build an ongoing relationship. The young refugees are often vulnerable and need to feel that they are cared about. As of January 2019, Birch has eight ongoing Family Befrienders and three families awaiting to be matched with a young person.
In order to support newly arrived asylum seekers and refugees, in particular the families, Birch organised the ‘Meet and Greet’ project. This collaborative project runs a weekly lunch, play and activity session in central Birmingham, with colleagues employed by the Children’s Society. Often local organisations like the Eastside Projects, attend to host creative workshops.
The majority of the families live in a nearby hostel, the initial accommodation centre for newly arrived asylum seekers in the West Midlands, where conditions are cramped and children are without school education whilst awaiting longer term accommodation. The ‘Meet and Greet’ has an emphasis on improving well-being and provides families with some respite from the difficulties of day to day life. Not only does the ‘Meet and Greet’ allow for positive relationships to form between volunteers and asylum seekers, but also between Birch volunteers and that of the Children Society.
Through their work Birch seeks to reduce the number of destitute and homeless asylum seekers in Birmingham, giving them the chance to feel as though they have a home. It is hoped that charities like Birch will be able to gain further publicity and encourage the wider public to get involved in the work.
For more information about volunteering with Birch, please contact them through their web enquiry form: https://birchnetwork.org/contact/
