top of page
Office Conversation
Welfare advice you can trust

Based in Kingston-upon-Thames, we  work in and outside London to tackle poverty and isolation amongst vulnerable migrants and increase their access to quality advice, information and services.

I need practical advice. 
Can I  speak to someone about my issues?

Consultation

Drop-in Advice Sessions 

Monday to Friday 10am - 5pm. 

020 3488 0638 / 07394 923278

Drop-in sessions: Monday &  Friday 10am - 2pm.

For appointments, please call or email to arrange. 

Our service supports migrants, some of whom are refugees and their first language is not English.  Some may have weak literacy skills, and are unfamiliar with the system of life in the UK.  Our trained advisers can assist clients through practical issues on a wide range of subjects, most commonly housing and rent arrears, debt, benefits and their welfare rights, education and access to health. 

We help them to resolve their practical problems and  how to avoid them in the future.  

Immigration Matters

Our staff are registered to advise ​at Level 1 Immigration and Asylum Protection with the Immigration Advice Authority and can undertake work at that level. 

 

Our advisers work with respected immigration lawyers who can steer you in the right direction towards maintaining or acquiring lawful residence in the UK.

John (not his real name) met us when he was homeless and used to come to our community fridge for a hot drink and breakfast and then started helping us as a volunteer.  After some time, he explained that he was a Polish national and had been a local resident since 2012.  He made a late application to the EU Settlement Scheme but didn't understand the Home Office's rejection letter.  Without timely access to advice, he lost his right to reside, rent, work and access welfare rendering him street homeless for four years.   

After we read the decision letter and explained the reasons for his initial failure, we gathered all the necessary information which he was asked to provide.  Working with support from Migrant Help, he received his settled status and reinstatment of full rights within one week of submitting his application.

Panoramic View

I want to get involved

Volunteering is at the heart of what we do and we couldn't deliver our services without our highly valued volunteers.  In return for the help you give us and the community, we give training and work experience and provide work references where appropriate​.  Indeed, many of our volunteers have gone on to take up work directly related to the volunteering they have done with us.

Advice Team​​

  •  Resilience and compassion are essential requirements for this demanding role and graduate applicants with a background in law, social sciences, international development or modern languages  are particularly encouraged to apply.  You will receive on the job training, learn from experienced advisers and the opportunity to put your skills into practice. 

  •  A background in law/ welfare advice/ immigration law (through training, work experience or lived experience) is desirable for those who are keen to train in immigration.

  • Community interpreters who need to build their experience portfolio are  also welcome to apply for a support role.  Languages especially in demand are Spanish, Ukrainian/ Russian, Pashto, Dari/ Farsi, Kurdish and Bengali.

Community Fridge Roles

  • volunteers to sort food as it comes in, prepare and serve to clients;

  • recycling management;

  • personal drivers (for local store collections using your own car);

  • small van drivers for larger collections using our van;

  • home delivery box packers at the Blue Hut: making up boxes for people who have subscribed to the home delivery service;

  • volunteers to deliver the home delivered boxes;

  • admin assistants to capture user registrations and usage data.

Lunch Club Roles​

  • Prepare food to serve, clean up and put away, encouraging users to help as much as possible; 

  • admin assistants to capture user registrations and usage data;

  • media assistant to produce weekly flyers and upload to platforms.

  • To apply, please complete this form:

Can you help me find a job?

Finding a job at the right level can be very hard, especially if you have little  work experience in the UK.  

We run a number of activities which can help you improve your job prospects.   This can be around improving your digital skills or full career coaching.

Have a look at some of our recent experiences here .......

IMG_14AD52CAD64B-1.jpeg
Our Aim:
Community Resilience & Integration

Our aim is to ease the integration journey for migrant people living in the local area, and to ease their way back into the wider community post Covid pandemic.

People of BAME background have fared  worse during and after the pandemic and their recovery has been slower both from an economic perspective as well as their health and wellbeing.
 
Families and individuals that are better supported to deal with practical issues will settle in their new environment more quickly. This will ease their journey into work and will also help them to access statutory and third sector services in an appropriate manner.  

IMG_6725.jpg

English classes, Training & Workshops

wordcloud_training-2.png

Take every opportunity to learn

Developing Community Groups

5_ways_of_wellbeing-01.png

Diverse groups share many similar needs

Counselling Services

wordcloud_counselling2.png

Getting the Help You Need

Currently we run 4 levels of ESOL classes:

  • Entry, Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3.

  • weekly workshops on all things related to life in the UK;

  • basic IT and phone skills sessions;

  • women-only fitness classes.

  • We run these either at Kingston Library or at Kingsnympton Park

Culturally sensitive counselling services, sometimes in non-English mother-tongue, are an essential part of the support people need when they are facing problems they need help to resolve.  

Our partners, Islamic Resource Centre, offer affordable and accessible counselling to help community members, from any ethnic or religious background, get back on track. 

Get in touch

Supporters, Partners & Funders

bottom of page