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Annual Review 2016–2017 Letter from the Director

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Annual Review 2016–2017 Letter from the Director Jesuit Refugee Service UK Annual Review 2016–2017 Letter from the Director If I were to name two highlights of the year it would be seeing the impact of our hosting scheme, At Home, and introducing a video of our refugee friends to 10,000 young people at Wembley Arena. Our At Home scheme has grown With extra capacity we were able to film substantially this year, enabling us to and edit a video of refugees attending Michael shares his experiences of seeking asylum at the JRS Parliamentary exhibition on seeking asylum. He shared the stage provide 13 placements to destitute our Day Centre, which I then introduced with Catherine McKinnell MP and Sean Ryan, Caritas Salford. refugees at risk of street homelessness. as part of a presentation to the CYMFED The impact of a good night’s sleep, Flame Congress, in front of 10,000 somewhere safe and welcoming is young Catholics. The young people life changing for refugees who were listened in attentive silence as our previously spending the night on night refugee friends spoke movingly about Message from a refugee friend buses, or trying to keep warm in all-night the painful process of seeking asylum. fast food restaurants. Sometimes the I was hugely proud that we were able change is so significant for those who to bring the voices of refugees to this Michael is one of our refugee friends supported through the Day are guests in the scheme that their gathering. whole physical demeanour seems to Centre. Michael was part of a filming project JRS produced this I am grateful to the staff and volunteers change. I am hugely grateful to the year for the Catholic youth event FLAME. He shared his journey at JRS who have worked so hard religious congregations who have taken this year, to donors and supporters with 10,000 young people. He also shared his experiences at a the brave step of hosting a refugee. who make our work possible, and to public event in Parliament and here he shares part of his journey In this financial year we took on our first the refugees we accompany, whose with you. full-time member of staff responsible for friendship and inspiration makes this communications and fundraising. work a blessing. “When I first came to the UK after fleeing “So often we think of home as four walls, my country around 15 years ago, what as a physical place, as a country even. I found was confusion: there wasn’t But to me, it is more than this: home is the internet, sign postings to services a place where you feel safe, where you were not there. I didn’t know the words feel loved, where you feel understood, ‘asylum’ or ‘asylum seeker’ – I was and where you can feel you can exercise fleeing political persecution, and hoping your freedoms. to find sanctuary. Sarah Teather “I began coming to JRS about three or “I didn’t know my rights; I didn’t see four years ago, and it’s honestly become myself as an ‘asylum seeker’, but simply my home.” a human being in need of support. I found myself being branded as an Michael spent over 14 years ‘immigrant’, an ‘illegal’. I felt like I lost fighting for his right as a refugee my identity, my dignity. to be recognised. Thankfully, in “I’ve spent the last 15 years fighting to be April 2017 he was given leave recognised as a refugee and I regularly found myself thinking about home. to remain. Our Founding Ethos Aims for the year Our Vision “It is important to view Providing a warm, calm and welcoming Offering pastoral and practical support migrants not only on the environment to destitute refugees to those held in detention centres at To accompany refugees is to basis of their status as through our weekly Day Centre, proving Heathrow. affirm that God is present, even a mixture of practical and pastoral in the most difficult and tragic regular or irregular, but support for approximately Expanding the At Home hosting project moments of human history. above all as people whose 200 destitute refugees. to provide temporary accommodation for destitute refugees. In companionship with Jesus dignity is to be protected Facilitating activities and groups for Christ and serving his mission and who are capable of refugees focussed on building resilience, Increase our capacity to raise awareness in the midst of refugees, JRS contributing to progress creative self-expression, peer support, of the situation refugees’ face, and can be an effective sign of God’s and spiritual accompaniment. advocating for positive change through a love and reconciliation. and the general welfare.” programme of talks in parishes, schools Pope Francis, World Day of and other public platforms. Migrants and Refugees 2016 Our Mission To accompany, to serve, to advocate JRS has a mission to accompany, serve JRS UK has a special ministry to work as companions, and advocate on behalf with refugees who have been detained of refugees and other forcibly displaced or made destitute by the asylum process Governance and persons. We give priority to situations in the UK, who are among the most of great need, where a more universal excluded groups in society today. good may be achieved, and to needs The work of JRS is rooted in a belief in Management Committee others are not attending to. We work the dignity of the person and justice where we have expertise, can join in the world. with partners or enable others to JRS UK is a work of Jesuits in Britain, humanitarian organisations and with become involved. who are governed by a Board of refugees themselves, encouraging co- Trustees, chaired by the Provincial, Fr responsibility, communal discernment Dermot Preston SJ. We have a close and participative decision-making. working relationship with the global The Jesuits in Britain delegate oversight work of JRS through the International Our Values of JRS UK to a Management Committee office in Rome and the European office chaired by Fr. Paul Nicholson SJ, JRS is grounded in Catholic social As a work of the Society of Jesus, in Brussels. teaching: our work is based on the we are called to work with the most who is also a trustee of TRCP. Our principles of hospitality and carried marginalised, drawing on the charism We endeavour to be openly Management Committee comprises out in a spirit of compassion and and principles of Ignatian spirituality and accountable for our work. We have an of Jesuits, other charity practitioners, solidarity, encouraging participation and are inspired by the love and compassion independent bank account, budget, and refugees we accompany. The community, aiming to give hope, justice of Jesus for the poor and excluded. and payroll. We work in partnership Management Committee report to the and dignity to refugees, people seeking with other religious congregations, British Jesuit Provincial. asylum and forced migrants. The Jesuits in Britain are The Society of Jesus Trust (of 1929) for Roman Catholic Purposes. Registered as a Charity in England & Wales (230165) and Scotland (40490). The impact of travel grants Supporting destitute refugees The weekly travel grants are truly a “lifeline” for those we serve, enabling individuals to receive and asylum seekers support from JRS and other charities, and crucially to access health services and visit their Our weekly Day Centre provided a safe and welcoming Solicitors. environment to 215 destitute refugees from across This year we were additionally able London, offering momentary respite from the hostility to support many of our refugee and stress they encounter on a daily basis. friends with special travel grants when they submitted fresh asylum claims in person in Liverpool or Our mission to accompany refugees is During the winter months we distributed attended appeal hearings outside deeply relational and creates a genuine over 200 winter coats and cold weather of London. sense of community, where refugees ‘Vinnie’ packs to our refugee friends, in become friends rather than being seen partnership with Wrap-Up London and This has resulted in 16 of our purely as beneficiaries. the SVP respectively. refugee friends being recognised as refugees in the last 12 months. Those we serve at our Day Centre have Alongside the Day Centre we have run no recourse to public funds and no a number of activities and programmes ability to access the job market, and which seek to build confidence and hence are left with no financial ability to resilience, and sometimes simply to support themselves. offer some recreation! This year we ran 7 different activities including prayer We provided 215 refugee friends each groups for both men and women, month with a weekly travel grant of £10 osteopathy sessions and bike training which equates to two full days of bus More than a hot meal for women, in collaboration with the travel in London; a hot meal each week Bike Project. As well as the obvious nutritional and regular food parcels, in partnership value, offering a hot meal each week with Tower Hamlets Food Bank. helps our refugee friends to make and sustain social connections, with others facing a similar situation and with JRS staff and volunteers. This year saw the introduction of Special Meals for celebrations such as “Despite having a stressful life and being Eid and Christmas at the Day Centre. fearful of an uncertain future, … I start Our Christmas special meal saw a record 183 refugee friends attend to feel happy and extremely relaxed the Day Centre and share together in the festivities. whenever I walk into the Day Centre on Thursdays.” A refugee friend Voice from a Volunteer We are grateful to all our volunteers who help make the work of JRS possible.
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