supporting refugees, asylum seekers and those with no recourse to public funds

Are you an asylum seeker, refugee, or someone with no recourse to public funds?

Interested in
supporting
us?

What we do

Voices in Exile works with refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants with no recourse to public funds in East and West Sussex and Surrey. We offer practical and legal support including generalist advice and specialist immigration casework (up to OISC Level 2) for those who would otherwise be unable to access justice. As part of our holistic approach we offer practical support including a weekly food and toiletries bank for those who are destitute; and also advocate for, accompany and enable people to access services, build community, and develop their own potential through a programme of learning and creative activities. We seek to encourage people to find positive ways to address their own needs, build skills and resilience, and work towards integration in the UK through an active programme of volunteering.

Services & activities

Advice & casework

Immigration Advice & Casework:

We are accredited to provide specialist immigration advice up to OISC Level 2. We provide one-off advice via our advice line or email, as well as immigration casework provided by our qualified caseworker.

Generalist Advice & Casework:

Our generalist advice and casework includes: welfare benefits, housing and homelessness, asylum support, children’s and adult community care, and digital inclusion.

Generally, all our services are for vulnerable and/or destitute migrants, asylum seekers and refugees who are not eligible for legal aid and/or do not have the means to pay for private legal advice. As a general rule we cannot currently assist EEA nationals – but will consider particularly vulnerable/complex cases. You can download our referral form here.

Referrals

For referrals, you can download our referral form here. If you are making a referral on behalf of someone else, we will need you to provide the client’s signed consent for you to do so.

Phone and Email Advice

01273 082105
advice@voicesinexile.org

Immigration Phone Advice Line

Tuesdays: 1.30 – 3.30 pm

Email
You can also email advice@voicesinexile.org

Please note this recent message from the South East Strategic Partnership for Migration:

Following valued feedback through our engagement with partners, we are hoping this communication clarifies the contact point for asylum seekers and their representatives to update address details.

Asylum seekers and/or their representatives should contact asylumcentralcommunicationshub@homeoffice.gov.uk to update their address details.

We strongly encourage all asylum seekers and their representatives to contact the above inbox, irrespective if they have moved or are moving to ensure their claim for asylum is not unduly delayed.

Generalist Phone Advice Line

Thursdays, fortnightly: 12.00 – 2.00 pm

Advice and signposting services offering support with destitution, housing, community care, welfare benefits, etc.

We are temporarily unable to provide generalist advice by email, but our Advice Line is available for telephone support at 12.00 – 2.00 pm on the following dates:

14.11.2024

28.11.2024

12.12.2024

We are currently closed for Generalist referrals via email.
Please check back in December.

Resettlement programmes

We work closely with families resettled in Brighton & Hove under various resettlement schemes, including; the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme, United Kingdom Resettlement, Afghanistan resettlement, and Chevening scholars, on behalf of Brighton & Hove City Council. We meet families on arrival, settle them into their new homes and schools, and provide integration assistance, dedicated casework, one-to-one mentoring, ESOL classes and additional language support during their first three years in the UK.

Skills and employability advice and casework

Our Resettlement Skills & Employability Caseworker, Lucy Newton-Jasso lucy.newton@voicesinexile.org provides:

initial assessment of language levels and needs, skills and aspirations for work that takes account of work-readiness and creates a personal action plan with regular reviews
translation of qualifications
ESOL referrals to external and internal provision
Support with CV writing
personalised job searches
VIE’s weekly Job Club to:
– have support to complete applications
– English support for specific vocational areas, e.g. hospitality, retail, barista, cleaning
– practise interview skills
– learn about rights and responsibilities in the workplace

vocational small group ESOL on relevant topics e.g. food safety, hospitality, barista training, retail, interview skills
1-1 mentoring with appropriately qualified professionals in various fields e.g. medicine, teaching, engineering
accompaniment to interviews
tuition with qualified volunteers eg Science GCSE, driving theory
provision of clothing and equipment for interviews and starting work, funded through grants and donations
liaison with employers for initial weeks of employment
close working with the DWP and priority access to relevant opportunities e.g. NHS care work
referrals to other provision, both external and to our own group work and our volunteering programme

ESOL and integration groups

We run four weekly groups that focus and provide support on:

Learning about useful services, interesting places and fun activities in Brighton and Hove
Practising English in a friendly, supportive space
Building connections and a community of friends
Improving your health and wellbeing
Getting support with accessing digital devices and using the internet
Using public transport with confidence
Accessing information to develop your skills and employability
Learning about other groups and volunteering

Groups run 10-1pm, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. (Join one of four groups)

For more information or to express interest in attending either group please contact Hayat Shehab: hayat.shehab@voicesinexile.org / 07526 072347

Food Bank

We run a weekly food bank for our destitute clients across Brighton and Hove. We rely heavily on donations to keep our food bank going, serving weekly approximately 90 people. For more information on our food bank, see our donations page.

News

Our news page keeps you updated with our charitable partners, article features and campaigns that we are supporting

Resources

Immigration support and signposting

Immigration Toolkit

Voices in Exile have created a bespoke immigration toolkit to assist service users going through various immigration applications. The toolkit features breakdowns of evidence needs, guides on how to gather evidence, and online forms needed.

This resource can be used by anyone submitting these applications, and is not just for Voices in Exile clients. Please share the toolkit to whoever may find it useful.

Toolkit Homepage

“Thank you for having me here for short time. I feel very warm and nice place. People are very friendly and the workers are really helpful. Will be part of my memory. Thank you to all of you!”
– recent service user

Who we are

Staff

Mel Steel

Director

I have been working in the refugee & migrant sector for 18 years, in a number of roles and for a number of organisations including the Refugee Legal Centre, Asylum Aid, the Terrence Higgins Trust and Praxis Community Projects. I am passionate about the essential work done by the voluntary refugee & migrant sector, and particularly about the current crisis in access to justice that means so few people have access to the free, competent legal advice they deserve. I am also a firm believer in the skills and abilities of refugees and migrants to create their own change. I am excited to have been given the opportunity to lead Voices in Exile at such a critical moment for migrants in the UK, and look forward to the challenge of sustaining, nourishing and developing our work well into the future.

Alison Kelly

Head of Services

I have been co-ordinating and managing provision that supports people to access services and learning for 25 years in a variety of contexts and roles. My work at Voices in Exile also includes deputising for our director, project management, fundraising, monitoring and evaluation, operational management and strategic development, and I chair the Brighton & Hove ESOL Network. At Voices in Exile, access to justice is key, and we use an asset-based approach in all we do, working with people to identify their strengths to tackle the physical, mental and practical challenges they face. Underpinning my work is the view that education and knowledge are necessarily transformative of the ways in which individuals view themselves and others – and, crucially, how they inform power relationships and the potential for equality.

Baraa Ismail

Immigration Caseworker

I am accredited to OISC Level 1 which provides me with a strong foundation in advising and supporting immigrants. I am particularly passionate about supporting those in need and ensuring they have access to the resources and support they need to make successful immigration applications. I have a background as a Resettlement Coordinator where I had the opportunity to work closely with individuals, families, and vulnerable people to help them navigate the settlement process.

Beth Hudson

Generalist Advice Manager

I provide generalist casework support as well as working closely with families on the resettlement scheme. My background is in mental health and migration, and I have volunteered and worked at a number of other local organisations based in Brighton, including charities supporting young people, and offering mental health support to asylum seekers and refugees. I am proud to be part of the Voices in Exile team offering all-round, multi-agency and holistic service, with a focus on advocacy and empowerment for clients while recognising individuals’ skills and abilities.

Jacquie Ballard

Resettlement Manager

I joined Voices in Exile in March 2024 having worked in the voluntary sector with vulnerable adults for over 20 years in Brighton and Hove. I previously worked in the debt and welfare benefits sector. As the Resettlement manager I work with the Caseworkers to help resettled refugees integrate into their new homes and communities over their first 3 years here, so that they are able to feel confident about accessing services and activities for a fulfilling life in Brighton and Hove.

Fay Blockey

Resettlement Caseworker

I have worked for over 20 years in the voluntary sector in Brighton and Hove with Citizens Advice, Mind in Brighton and Hove and Money Advice Plus as a specialist adviser, case-worker and advocate. Much of my work has been related to welfare benefits, mental health and debt. I look forward to working more holistically with clients and feel very privileged to have the opportunity to work with refugees and migrants as Voices’ resettlement caseworker.

Lucy Newton-Jasso

Resettlement Caseworker

I am the Skills and Employability Caseworker for the Resettlement team at Voices in Exile, where I have been supporting refugees and asylum seekers in their journey towards education and employment since 2023. As a qualified ESOL and languages teacher, I bring extensive experience in teaching and helping individuals improve their language skills. My background in casework enables me to provide tailored careers advice, assisting clients in exploring career paths and finding suitable employment.

Jamal Bastawi

Generalist & Resettlement Caseworker

I have always been interested in working with refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers. This stems from my own personal experience of living in Sudan and from my family life. My dedication to improving the lives of vulnerable communities inspired me to study international development with Arabic at university. I provide generalist advice and support as well as working with long term clients as part of my casework. I am proud to be part of the VIE team because it has given me the opportunity to work directly with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The VIE team are extremely supportive and have provided me with an incredible opportunity to learn and expand my knowledge on issues that vulnerable communities face and how I can help.

Becca Tucknott

Resettlement Caseworker

I have worked with refugee and migrant communities in the UK and Europe since 2016, first as a volunteer and more recently through various community roles in Brighton and Hove. I also recently studied a masters in Applied Anthropology and Community Arts at Goldsmiths where I gained a deeper theoretical understanding of community work and expanded my practice and skills.

My work takes a holistic and intersectional approach and is rooted in the core community work values of social justice, equality, community empowerment and collective action and learning. I am proud to be part of the team at Voices, supporting people to build connections, access services and understand their rights as they resettle into the local community.

Hayat Shehab

Group Facilitator

I’m the group facilitator for the Migrant Welcome Project. My main role is to to organize trips, workshops and activities that help migrants to navigate both the practical and fun aspect of life in Brighton. I love being part of a supportive team and enjoy collaborating with the volunteers and project coordinator as we strive to empower members and ensure that the project is group-led. My background is in education and law, and I’ve worked in both refugee advice and teaching and as a high school English teacher and department head in Beirut for 12 years. I enjoy the informal and supportive connections that are made during the sessions, and I’ve loved watching the group members bonding and supporting each other. As well as building community and friendship, the sessions also allow everyone to practice English skills in an authentic, inclusive and safe setting. It is more than a privilege to be allowed to contribute to this project.

Sue Shaw

Volunteer Coordinator

I have over 10 years’ experience as a volunteer coordinator across Brighton & Hove, and I am dedicated to cultivating the inclusive and welcoming volunteer community at Voices in Exile. We rely heavily on our volunteer base, and I strive to make each and every volunteer feel included, appreciated, and supported. I believe volunteering opportunities should be an accessible path for everyone to get involved in their local community, and support the integration of service users into the world of volunteering and the benefits that this offers to them.

Stephen Cummiskey

Food bank Coordinator

I have been volunteering for Voices in Exile since February 2017 and in July 2020 was appointed to coordinate the operational side of the food bank during the Covid-19 crisis. I have previously worked on projects with refugees and internally displaced people in the Middle East and Africa, and this work inspired me to be more involved with helping people closer to home who have been forced to flee their home. At Voices I work closely with the caseworkers and provide customised food parcels appropriate to the cultural diversity of our clients. I’ve seen the transformation in the lives of families as they’ve progressed through the support network. Regardless of where in the process a new arrival finds themselves, they are always made welcome, treated with respect and offered food if they need it.

Neil Hay

Finance Officer

I am a qualified accountant with experience working across a range of sectors. My role at Voices in Exile involves dealing with the day-to-day finances and the management accounts of the organisation.

Susan Blaylock

Administrator

I have worked in administration for 15 years, and have also volunteered with local charities in Brighton. I am proud to join the VIE team who deliver vital services and give hope to vulnerable migrants and refugees, and help them to settle and thrive within our community. I look forward to supporting the charity’s clients, staff, volunteers and trustees.

Trustees

Nick Scott-Flynn

Chair

I have been a Trustee since the beginning of 2018. I first had contact with the organisation 14 years ago when I was conducting research into the destitution being experienced by asylum seekers and refugees due to the invidious changes to the asylum process. I was impressed by the pioneering work that Voices was doing to support people who had been badly let down by the system, and became a trustee to contribute to the development of the much-needed services that the organisation provides. I work as a consultant in the humanitarian sector and am based in Brighton.

Adam Hickie

Treasurer

I became involved with Voices in Exile back in 2009 when the charity was formally set up, and have acted as the charity’s treasurer since then. In my professional life I am a partner in a local accountancy firm specialising in small business growth and development. We work with a number of charities and community interest companies, which enables me to bring my accounting expertise to Voices.

I first became aware of Voices in Exile in 2007 when my wife volunteered for the group before it was formally constituted as a charity. I was bowled over by the amount of fantastic work that was being done to help people who are all too often marginalised and forgotten, and I wanted to help in any way I could.

Catherine O'Donnell

I became a trustee of Voices in February 2017 after volunteering at the food bank. I am a barrister practising in social housing law. I previously worked at the Low Pay Unit campaigning for a national minimum wage. I wanted to be part of Voices to help sustain and expand its vital work.

Jyoti Kakad

I joined ViE as a volunteer in March 2018 and became a trustee in March 2020. I arrived in the UK as a refugee and I grew up hearing of the vital support and nurture received by my family from the voluntary sector. As a volunteer, I quickly came to appreciate the commitment, breadth of service and significant impact of the Voices in Exile family, which motivated me to become a trustee. I have a legal background and a strong instinct for sound and ethical governance, which I hope to bring to that role.

Andrew Jackson

Having been Chair of Brighton and Hove Freedom from Torture Supporters’ Group since 2016, I have insight into issues that refugees face in the U.K. and have experience of fundraising for Freedom from Torture and the Red Cross. I have a commitment to humanitarianism and awareness of the principles of humanitarian action based on the Christian faith whilst recognising the legitimacy of other faiths in this. I am currently a member of the Brighton and Hove Interfaith Contact Group. As a supporter of Safe Passage Campaigns I have been able to raise current refugee cases in both a chaplaincy and church context.

Alex Sutton

I have a keen interest in the migration and integration policy areas as well as interest and experience in developing service provision. I am currently head of the migration programme at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and was previously Social Protection Programme Manager at the Overseas Development Institute and Deputy Chief Executive at Praxis Community Projects, an organisation supporting vulnerable migrants in London, where I led the development of the ‘Challenging Exclusion’ strategy as well as its highly successful youth programme, giving a voice to young asylum seekers and young people with irregular status using participatory arts. I am an experienced trustee committed to promoting good governance.

Volunteers

Too many to mention! If you are interested in volunteering with us, please see links in the ‘What we do’ section above.

Contact Us

Email:

General: administrator@voicesinexile.org

Advice queries & referrals: advice@voicesinexile.org

Finance Officer: finance.officer@voicesinexile.org

“I’d like to thank staff and volunteers at Voices in Exile for all that you do. I know from the constituents I speak to at my surgeries, and the emails and letters I receive, the tremendous support you give to families in desperate need at times of crisis.”
– Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion

Background

Voices in Exile was set up in 2005 to address the urgent need for practical support and legal advice for refugees and vulnerable migrants in Brighton and Sussex. We began as a small, volunteer-led grassroots organisation providing a safe point of contact, advice and practical support for people who didn’t know where else to go, and soon developed a range of social and skills-based activities for clients alongside our advice, casework and destitution services.

We became registered as a charity and limited company in 2009, and became OISC-accredited in 2011, so that we could deliver immigration advice and casework up to Level 2. This means that we can represent in most initial immigration and asylum applications up to the point where an application is refused by the Home Office and needs representation at the appeal stage.

Since the EU migrant crisis of 2015-16 we have experienced a huge increase in interest in and demand on our services, and at the same time a huge outpouring of goodwill from people wanting to help. This has been fantastic but also challenging, and our small team has undergone a number of changes as we have grown.

One thing we know for sure is that demand on our services is not going to decrease anytime soon. The south east of England, including Brighton & Hove, is acknowledged as an immigration legal aid desert, and we are the only provider of free, regulated, out-of-scope immigration advice in the region. This is crucial because, as we have seen in the aftermath of the Windrush scandal, good legal immigration advice is the key to unlocking almost all entitlements in the current hostile environment – including the right to work, claim benefits, rent accommodation, open a bank account, get married, study, drive, and even own a driving license.

If you’d like to support our vital work, you can donate here and also see what your money can buy.

Mission

Our charity is based on a multi-faith, human rights-based ethos, and our core values reflect our very basic belief that all people should be treated with respect and dignity within a system that is fair and just. We aim to offer a practical, holistic and high-quality service that reflects and responds to the needs and strengths of our migrant service users – both individually and collectively.