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Can you help us give a warm welcome to refugees in Hertfordshire? |
2025 has been another incredibly busy year for Herts Welcomes Refugees: we continue to welcome and support families arriving under resettlement schemes and support asylum seekers waiting to hear whether their claims are successful and people with positive decisions starting to build their lives in the UK.
The welcome and support is all the more vital as negative stories and anti-migrant protests dominate the news.
Our amazing volunteers are rising to the challenges of faster asylum decisions and the return to the 28-day limit for single people with Leave to Remain to vacate their accommodation.
But the pressure on our time and resources is at an all-time high. As we look ahead to 2026 we need your help so that we can support as many people as possible, especially in the dark, cold winter months.
Can you help us make 2026 a better year with a donation to our Warm Welcome Appeal?
Here’s how your donations will help:
The welcome and support is all the more vital as negative stories and anti-migrant protests dominate the news.
Our amazing volunteers are rising to the challenges of faster asylum decisions and the return to the 28-day limit for single people with Leave to Remain to vacate their accommodation.
But the pressure on our time and resources is at an all-time high. As we look ahead to 2026 we need your help so that we can support as many people as possible, especially in the dark, cold winter months.
Can you help us make 2026 a better year with a donation to our Warm Welcome Appeal?
Here’s how your donations will help:
Initial welcome
We have seen a large number of new asylum seeker arrivals this year. Many arrive with just the clothes they stand up in.
£25 helps us give a warm coat from a charity shop or a voucher to buy underwear and basics like track suit bottoms or a hoodie.
£65 buys uniform basics and shoes as children start at their new school.
We have seen a large number of new asylum seeker arrivals this year. Many arrive with just the clothes they stand up in.
£25 helps us give a warm coat from a charity shop or a voucher to buy underwear and basics like track suit bottoms or a hoodie.
£65 buys uniform basics and shoes as children start at their new school.
Moving on - single adults
When single adult asylum seekers get Leave to Remain and refugee status, they have just 28 days notice to leave asylum accommodation, open a bank account, try to find somewhere to live and start to find a job. There is very little housing available to them at affordable rates and landlords are reticent to take on tenants with no credit history. Though it’s far from ideal, all we can do in the short term is give sleeping bags and other items to people who are street homeless, in the hope they will find a hostel place, or, if they are fortunate, a room in a house of multiple occupation (HMO), soon.
Some of the things your donations could help us buy:
When single adult asylum seekers get Leave to Remain and refugee status, they have just 28 days notice to leave asylum accommodation, open a bank account, try to find somewhere to live and start to find a job. There is very little housing available to them at affordable rates and landlords are reticent to take on tenants with no credit history. Though it’s far from ideal, all we can do in the short term is give sleeping bags and other items to people who are street homeless, in the hope they will find a hostel place, or, if they are fortunate, a room in a house of multiple occupation (HMO), soon.
Some of the things your donations could help us buy:
If accommodation is found we try to help with preloved and new items as required.
Moving on - families with Leave to Remain
Families have 56 days notice to leave asylum accommodation. Councils have a duty to house homeless families but it is still a difficult time. Some may be lucky enough to be given furnished or partly furnished accommodation and so need comparatively little support. Others are moving into completely bare accommodation – no flooring, no appliances, sometimes no lightbulbs.
We help people with some of the basics to set up home, sourcing from donations where we can and buying household items only when absolutely necessary.
See these examples of things you could help us buy:
Moving on - families with Leave to Remain
Families have 56 days notice to leave asylum accommodation. Councils have a duty to house homeless families but it is still a difficult time. Some may be lucky enough to be given furnished or partly furnished accommodation and so need comparatively little support. Others are moving into completely bare accommodation – no flooring, no appliances, sometimes no lightbulbs.
We help people with some of the basics to set up home, sourcing from donations where we can and buying household items only when absolutely necessary.
See these examples of things you could help us buy:
If you can make a donation towards these costs, the people we are supporting will be so grateful!
Please donate now to help us continue to give a warm welcome to those seeking sanctuary here
It’s also really helpful if you can make regular donations throughout the year because that gives us more financial stability
and allows us to plan more effectively.
If you would like to support in this way, please use the ‘I’d like to give regularly’ option from the Donate button below.
