Fundraising event for Haringey Migrant Support Centre on 8th February

Posted: January 29, 2013

Haringey Migrant Support Centre is hosting a night of music, spoken word and poetry to raise funds for the running of our drop-in centre here in the borough of Haringey.

The event will be held at 20:00 on 8th February at St. John Vianney Church Hall, 386 West Green Road, N15 3QL. There is a suggested donation of £5 but if you don’t have that much, come along anyway!

Click here for a flyer – please feel free to print and distribute widely!

The Haringey Migrant Support Centre has since the 1st of October 2012 been providing a weekly drop-in service for migrants. The Centre offers advice on immigration matters, housing and benefits as well as general welfare advice and it signposts visitors to local services as needed. In addition, the centre aims to be a welcoming space helping to reduce social isolation amongst migrants that live in, and outside of, Haringey.

Following concerns from local community groups about the lack of immigration advice and migrant-specific services provided in the borough, the Haringey Migrant Support Group was formed. Cuts to legal aid and other statutory bodies have meant that it is increasingly difficult for migrants to access basic services. This makes it virtually impossible for people to access good quality immigration advice. Immigration rules in the U.K. are strict with time limits on many applications, and this leaves people vulnerable to extortionate fees for poor quality advice putting their applications in jeopardy.

For many this means a life of destitution. Many of London’s existing centres for destitute migrants are struggling to meet the demand for their services. Those that relied heavily on government funding are finding it impossible to keep going now that their budgets have been slashed.

Lauren Cape-Davenhill, who chairs the Haringey Migrant Support Group, said “Like most European capital cities London is a city of migrants. These are people who start at the bottom and work hard to make a decent life for their families.”

Many migrants arrive to the U.K. with nothing, little knowledge of the culture and find it difficult to find their way around. Ms Cape-Daven-Hill explained that “The centre aims to help those who are struggling. We will give whatever assistance we can regardless of their immigration status. We will provide advice and a nourishing meal. We want to create social space in the Haringey borough to reach out to migrants who feel isolated.”

Migrants travel across London to find advice and services. The Hackney Migrant Centre has reported a massive increase of people looking for assistance with 20% coming from this borough. The Haringey Migrant Support Centre has since its opening been running on a weekly basis and we have seen more than 100 migrants at our drop-in since we opened. We have realised the importance of the centre and for this reason we are arranging a fundraiser to secure the future running of the drop-in centre.

For further information:
– www.haringeymsc.org
– info@nullharingeymsc.org
– 07544078332

Category: Uncategorised
Tags: race and immigration