This initiative is hosted by Hackney CVS to help frontline organisations deliver high quality health and wellbeing services for refugees and migrants in Hackney. The network will work with a group of community organisations who are taking a leadership role on supporting refugees and migrants in Hackney.

The Migrant Support Network will work intensively with members organisations to:

• Develop consortium funding bids to strengthen service delivery
• Strengthen coordination among frontline service providers to identify and fill gaps in service delivery for refugees and migrants
• Support organisations to work towards achieving a professional accreditation to recognise the organisation’s expert capacity to deliver quality services in the community
• Provide access to expert training to support members to scale up and strengthen service delivery. Examples include navigating the health system and statutory services, care certificate, working with young people, project management, data monitoring, with other training to be decided by the members
• Work closely with the Hackney Refugee Forum to ensure information from frontline service delivery providers on issues affecting refugees and migrants reaches policy and decision makers in the borough
• Raise the profile and recognition of the important role played by refugee and migrant community groups in Hackney

To read more about our approach to supporting Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Refugee and Migrant (BAMER) organisations in Hackney and some exciting future plans go to our website. Read more

List of Migrant Support Members

Beersheba-Living Well
Beersheba-Living Well is a registered CIO which adopts an Asset Based Community Development approach to help create a level playing field for residents’ affected by discrimination, through peer support from services users with lived, worked, trained and professional experience. It aims to bring BAMER communities, adults and older people from lower socio-economic groups struggling with Type 2 diabetes and obesity-related diseases together as equals in non-formal learning environments. They actively participate in adult learning programmes that promote physical exercise, nutrition and active self-management to improve wellbeing and health.

Community African Network (CAN)
The Community African Network is a network of African led organisations working together to address key issues affecting the African community in Hackney. CAN was established in 2016 when 7 organisations agreed to jointly advocate, campaign and promote issues around health and well-being affecting African in Hackney. CAN has grown organically as a consortium and comprises of 11 organisations: African Community School, African Art & Advice Centre, African Support & Project Centre, Central Africa’s Rights & AIDS (CARA) Society, Nenita Sa Engineering Foundation, International Youth Centre, Rise Community Action, Precious Lives, Hackney Somali Community, Undugu Community Association and WHEAT Mentor Support Trust. CAN has a track record of working with African communities to deliver health messages and help change behaviour. Through a network of trained community champions and volunteers they engage with the African community in places where people congregate, enabling sympathetic, culturally relevant dialogue and discussion about knowledge, barriers and support. CAN is successfully delivering the sexual health promotion project and Free Condom Project. CAN was also commissioned by the CCG to deliver a TB awareness raising programme via community champions. And currently CAN is delivering with the support of the CCG the bowel cancer awareness project to increase uptake of bowel screening within the elderly Black African community in Hackney.

ELATT
ELATT is a community created by students who take the lead with their future. They provide courses and projects for all types of people to help them get ahead in the work place. ELATT has an established reputation as an effective provider of large and small-scale community development projects designed to tackle educational, socio-economic and health inequalities amongst vulnerable communities. ELATT offers English language courses, and supports migrant women at pivotal times in their lives with crisis and well-being support. Volunteers offer training to help new migrant women with their first steps towards integration and also offer support around mental health and tackling social isolation.

Hackney Chinese Community Services
Hackney Chinese Community Service has provided services to the Chinese and Vietnamese community in Hackney for over 30 years. They offer lunch clubs, a health advocacy service, advice sessions, social and well-being projects and activities such as table tennis, Majong, karaoke, calligraphy, singing and dancing classes.

Hackney Cypriot Association
Hackney Cypriot Association has been operating in Hackney for 40 years, uniquely offering support and empowerment to both Greek and Turkish Cypriots providing a consistent approach to a Cypriot community cohesion and developmental need. The organisation provides support, linguistic and other help in such areas as personal finance, housing queries, education, welfare rights, immigration and employment. They have a friendly community centre where people can come and have a home cooked meal with their friends, and offer social and cultural events. They have also provided peer support groups for people with long term health conditions including Type 2 diabetes, Arthritis and Rheumatism.

Latin American Women’s Aid Refuge
Latin American Women’s Aid Refuge has run the only two refuges in Europe by and for Latin American women and children fleeing gender-based violence, for the last 32 years. They provide specialised supporting services and emergency accommodation for BME women and children survivors of different forms of gender based violence. They welcome women of all abilities, from any cultural context, ethnicity, social class, religion and sexuality, and are proud to be bisexual, lesbian, queer and trans women inclusive.

Minik Kardes Limited
Minik Kardes have delivered community outreach services for over 20 years, supporting parents and children in the Turkish and Kurdish speaking communities and through a bilingual nursery. They develop safe spaces for women who disclose domestic violence and support them into services, and run groups and workshops for families and support parents with financial and addiction problems.

Refugee Women’s Association
Refugee Women’s Association works to empower refugee women through providing advice and guidance, disseminating quality information, organising culturally sensitive training programmes and lobbying policy makers. They offer sessions on health and well-being, and have a counsellor who provides psychotherapy sessions for refugee and migrant women. They also provide information, advice, guidance and advocacy on a one to one basis to migrant and refugee women on immigration, housing, education, welfare benefit, health and well-being, financial management and debt management.

Roj Women Association
Roj Women Association supports Kurdish and Turkish women to improve upon their educational levels and training skills so as to enable them to effectively contribute to the social and economic efforts within community. They provide minority ethnic young girls and women with a referral service to enable them to be linked with appropriate specialized agencies and competent authorities for the resolution of their housing, health, training, employment and general welfare problems. They are also developing some innovative income generation projects for women, including a textiles project and a cheese making project.

Round Chapel Clapton Community Drop-In
The Clapton Community Drop-in, at Clapton United Reform Church, has been running since 2015. The support offered is varied and responds to the individual needs of each person. It is often related to a wide range of health and social care issues including support for addiction, benefit caps and a wide range of issues related to the housing crisis. Alongside the drop in, there is also a weekly meal called Urban Table for people who are street homeless or living in vulnerable housing situations, many of who are from refugee or migrant communities.

Santé Refugee Mental Health Access Project
Santé Refugee Mental Health Access Project support refugees and asylum seekers in the London region, particularly those with mental health issues, to gain equal access to health and other essential services. They provide befriending and advocacy to vulnerable asylum seekers & refugees, matching each service user with a volunteer who meets with them once a week to offer emotional support and company. The volunteers also offer practical help such as assisting with telephone calls and correspondence, or accompanying people to appointments.

Turkish Cypriot Cultural Association
The Turkish Cypriot Cultural Association have been providing service to the Turkish speaking community since 1977. They offer a range of services to improve the health and well-being of refugees and migrants, including home and hospital visits, English courses, advice service, computing courses, digital inclusion project, art and craft courses and exercise classes. They have also provided lunch clubs, and specialist support to older people.