Migrant Help was established in 1963 by Helen Ellis (MBE) as the ‘Kent Committee for the Welfare of Migrants’ (KCWM) to provide support to refugees and asylum seekers arriving at the Channel Ports. In the past 50 years, the charity has developed services based on its core values of supporting, respecting, and protecting refugees and those seeking asylum in the UK. In 2010, the charity changed its name to Migrant Help.
During the 1990s, an increase in people seeking asylum led to the charity receiving a significant grant from the Home Office in 1994 to deliver support services to newly arrived asylum seekers and refugees. The name ‘Migrant Helpline’ was then adopted. The charity expanded its advice and support services in the new millennium, opening an Induction Centre in 2002 and managing the London accommodation centre for newly arrived asylum seekers, known as ‘Emergency Initial Accommodation’. The charity also established various projects to help new refugees integrate into life in the UK.
Migrant Help has also provided community engagement services, including EU migrant advice services in Kent and East of England, foreign national prisoner and immigration detention centre advice sessions, and multi-faith pastoral care. In 2008, the charity established Clear Voice to provide high-quality language services. Their profit goes towards supporting the charity’s services.
Migrant Help began delivering government-funded advice and support to asylum seekers across the UK in 2014. This service is delivered through the charity’s offices across the UK and a free national telephone helpline. The charity assists tens of thousands of asylum seekers every year. The charity encourages volunteering, working, and donating to support vulnerable migrants.
REFERENCES
Migrant Help | LinkedIn. https://uk.linkedin.com/company/migranthelp
What we do | Migrant Help. https://www.migranthelpuk.org/what-we-do
Migrant Help. https://www.migranthelpuk.org
Wiki Hyphen Website | Updates 4th April 2023 | Link: https://www-wiki.com/Migrant-Help-Uk