No one should have to face detention, homelessness or the hostile immigration system alone.
 
At JCWI we provide urgent legal advice, representation and practical support to people whose safety and futures are at risk – and we fight to change the policies and systems that put them at risk

As the hostile policies aimed at migrants become more and more cruel, our work has never been so important.

No one seeking safety should be forced onto the street.

In May the High Court ruled a Home Office policy forcing survivors of torture to share accommodation is unlawful – because of the serious risk of harm.

When AB, an asylum seeker and survivor of torture, was forced to choose between sharing a room with a stranger or living on the street, he chose homelessness.

Our lawyers stepped in. We lodged an urgent Judicial Review and demanded the Home Office provide him with safe, secure accommodation with a room of his own. Three days later, they conceded.

He wrote to his lawyer:

Thank you so much for all your help and support. I will never forget what you guys did for me. I know you say it's your job but I don't see only a job I see humanity, kindness, and real care.

Legal support changed what happened to him, but many people facing the same fear and uncertainty cannot find a lawyer in time.

That is why we urgently need your help.

People are isolated from the support they need.

People seeking safety in the UK are being housed in remote mass accommodation camps, often far from help, healthcare and their community. Others are held in immigration detention while facing life-changing decisions about their futures.

Right now in Crowborough, East Sussex, people seeking asylum are kept in a former military site, with as many as 16 people sharing a room. Many have survived war, persecution, trafficking or torture. Yet they can struggle to access even basic legal advice and information about their rights.

JCWI recently visited Crowborough alongside local organisations and volunteers. Our lawyers provided free legal advice, listened to residents and helped people understand their options. But we also were present to listen to them, share food run workshops with the local community. 

We are continuing to work with local support networks, provide legal assistance and campaign for an end to this kind of asylum accommodation.
 

With your help we can fight back!

A year ago, we came to you for help to keep our vital Migrants Helpline open. You stepped up, and we raised enough money to keep it alive for a full year. Thanks to you hundreds of people got the help they needed. Now, we are coming to you again.

Your donation will: 

Keep our free and confidential Migrants Helpline open for people who cannot otherwise access legal advice. 

Provide urgent legal advice and representation to people facing detention, removal, homelessness or unsafe accommodation.

Visit asylum accommodation and detention settings where people are isolated from mainstream legal services.

Help people overcome language and communication barriers and connect them with appropriate housing, welfare and specialist support.
 
Turn the evidence we encounter through individual cases into policy work and campaigns capable of creating wider change.

Your donation will reach people in detention, unsafe accommodation or facing the threat of homelessness without legal support. Your donation will support our wider work to challenge and change the systems that harm people. Your donation will be the foundation for change.  

Donate today.

If you cannot donate, sharing this campaign can help us reach someone who can.