Hostile environment? Not with us!

At Hopetown we believe in the power of community and want to create a place where refugees and displaced people can find solidarity, support and a welcoming smile.

The support available for asylum-seekers in Britain has seen a steady decline over the past decade. Many of the organisations that previously supported asylum-seekers awaiting the outcome of their application, are today merely able to help those with refugee status (Leave to Remain). This leaves asylum-seekers, who meanwhile do not have the right to work in the UK, in an incredibly vulnerable and marginalised situation and delays their potential future integration into society.

Many asylum-seekers fall into destitution, and those without family or friends in the UK are given accommodation through the Home Office. In London, such asylum accommodation has been heavily criticised for its scandalous living standards,.

In Kilburn, London, more than 200 asylum-seekers are living in a six-storey hostel in Priory Park Road, waiting to hear the outcomes of their asylum-application. These individuals are reportedly sleeping in rows of single beds, often with no space between them, and many have reported that they feel claustrophobic, isolated and entirely neglected.

Hopetowns is about to open a community centre for asylum-seekers in Kilburn, at walking distance from the state-provided asylum accommodation centre. This day-centre will help alleviate some of the mental hardships experienced in the accommodation centre and generally during long periods awaiting a decision on the asylum application.

With your support, through volunteering and donations, we will be able to offer:

• Language training and employment coaching

• Psycho-social and emotional support

• Administrative support

Please help us today to open the Hopetowns community centre as soon as possible!