Please note that the All Saints Drop In and the office of Friends Without Borders are both closed until further notice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will continue to update on alternative services here.
We will continue to update on alternative services here.
- We have identified 27 people who are dependent on our support and I'm very pleased to report that we're making good progress with keeping up their payments now we cannot meet face to face.
- We are working on a scheme to link a number of our volunteers to vulnerable asylum seekers so they can help with advice over the phone.
- Access to Justice is currently closed for new cases but existing cases are being dealt with.
- We've contacted the Food Bank to try and arrange for our existing clients to access food without a referral. Watch this page for updates.
- Please keep watching this website for fresh information. In case of need it is suggested to phone our office 023 9283 9222 and leave a message. These are picked up quickly and someone will phone back. You can also continue to contact us by email.
- There is reassuring information about testing and treatment for asylum seekers who think they may have caught the virus - there are NO immigration checks and TREATMENT IS FREE - see here
- The Red Cross office is closed. Clients can ring 07872 839889 or email portsmouthreferrals@redcross.org.uk
The All Saints Drop-in provides a social space for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to meet people and access professional advice and advocacy.
The Drop-in takes place between 10am and 1pm on Mondays and Thursdays at All Saints Church, Portsmouth. Refreshments and a creche are available.See below for further details.
The Drop-in takes place between 10am and 1pm on Mondays and Thursdays at All Saints Church, Portsmouth. Refreshments and a creche are available.See below for further details.
How we meet the needs of the local refugee and asylum seeker community
The All Saints Drop-in provides a social space for people to access both professional and peer support in times of need.
At the All Saints Drop-in we help with the following issues:
Volunteers work with members of the local asylum seeking and refugee community to resolve problems and utilise coping strategies when times are hard. Friends Without Borders maintain links with other refugee support services, local solicitors and food banks that can provide assistance. The All Saints drop-in is run in collaboration with the Portsmouth branch of the British Red Cross.
Staff and volunteers that coordinate the Drop-in have a unique perspective on the immigration experience as they have seen both the hardship of living within British community as an asylum seeker but also the difficulties of immigration detention. FWB are aware that general advice should always be considered in light of any ongoing immigration case. We aim to ensure that our advice realises the limitations and restrictions that may be placed upon a person who is or has been subject to immigration control.
We see people with multiple issues for example, a particular case of success include someone with severe mental health problems having been sectioned and then in immigration detention and then released onto the streets of Portsmouth. They had a medical report in which we found the name of the mental health solicitor who had seen them whilst they were sectioned. A phone call established that under certain provisos of the Mental Health Act, an argument could be made for housing. We are delighted that after some months of wrangling temporary accommodation has been provided.
At the All Saints Drop-in we help with the following issues:
- Destitution support
- Travel
- Education
- Finding legal representatives
- Accessing local health services
- Housing problems
- Benefit applications/ entitlements
Volunteers work with members of the local asylum seeking and refugee community to resolve problems and utilise coping strategies when times are hard. Friends Without Borders maintain links with other refugee support services, local solicitors and food banks that can provide assistance. The All Saints drop-in is run in collaboration with the Portsmouth branch of the British Red Cross.
Staff and volunteers that coordinate the Drop-in have a unique perspective on the immigration experience as they have seen both the hardship of living within British community as an asylum seeker but also the difficulties of immigration detention. FWB are aware that general advice should always be considered in light of any ongoing immigration case. We aim to ensure that our advice realises the limitations and restrictions that may be placed upon a person who is or has been subject to immigration control.
We see people with multiple issues for example, a particular case of success include someone with severe mental health problems having been sectioned and then in immigration detention and then released onto the streets of Portsmouth. They had a medical report in which we found the name of the mental health solicitor who had seen them whilst they were sectioned. A phone call established that under certain provisos of the Mental Health Act, an argument could be made for housing. We are delighted that after some months of wrangling temporary accommodation has been provided.
Friends Without Borders, All Saints Centre, Commercial Road, Portsmouth, PO1 4BT, Phone: 023 9283 9222
Our registered charity number is: 1080187
Our registered charity number is: 1080187
