For most people, feeling at home and comfortable in your surroundings is a given, but for those fleeing their countries, this feeling is closer to a luxury or a dream.
Hampshire based charity Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group is working to change that.
In recent years, the UK has seen legislations including the Rwanda Bill and changes to immigration laws proposed, as well as the race riots of the summer after the spreading of misinformation. These have been the cause of public scrutiny and division, further isolating refugees and asylum seekers.
During the race riots, many of the UK’s towns and cities became dangerous, with people living in fear. Southampton was one of the cities affected and counter-protests took to the streets to advocate for refugees.
“A lot of people came together and completely outnumbered the far-right protesters. I think when people actually meet somebody rather than just hearing about them, they can respond to them as people rather than an idea or statistic.”
Co-chair Catherine Hartley has been with the organisation since 2015 and spoke on the issues asylum seekers face, as well as the actions taken by SWVG.
“The Rwanda scheme was cancelled and the immigration laws haven’t been implemented but we’re still talking about small boats instead of talking about people and what they need.”
She identified the problem with people no longer looking at refugees and asylum seekers as humans, instead looking at them as a statistic, or even a threat to the country, as well as the uncertainty of the long application process.
Catherine explained that there is no longer a way for people to seek asylum in the UK from their country of origin. They have to physically be in the country, meaning they take life-threatening risks to get here.
Once an asylum seeker makes it to the country, they may have to wait months, or even years until they find out if they can stay. This wait causes the feeling of hopelessness, like being stuck in limbo, preventing people from getting jobs and settling down.
“People live with uncertainty,” said Catherine “and their lives are on hold for months and months, often years”.
During the process, applicants are moved around, and don’t yet have the right to work. They are often put up in hotels where their independence is reduced.
SWVG work with asylum seekers to bring back their sense of autonomy, campaigning for political change, as well as hosting community events, fundraisers and weekly sessions.
One of these events is the Cooking for Friends Project, where the organisation hosts a dinner every Saturday evening. In the Cooking for Friends Project, those involved with the charity take it in turns to invite friends and cook meals from their home country, an opportunity that doesn’t present itself when living in a hotel.
“It’s a really lovely atmosphere,” said Catherine.
The Cooking for Friends project aims to help asylum seekers feel at home and provides a form of socialisation, another thing made more difficult in a hotel.
As well as community events and campaigning, Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group hosts drop-in sessions in a local centre. Here they teach reading and writing, as well as giving legal advice, and providing one-one support to asylum seekers.
SWVG encourages anyone looking to support the cause to learn about real people, join campaigns and contact their local MP, or donate to the charity or their partners.
More information is available here: https://swvg-refugees.org.uk/