The Specialist Advice Team supports refugees and people seeking asylum who are experiencing homelessness, financial hardship and other complex barriers. Our aim is to reduce crisis and help people towards stability and integration within the community.
How we help…
Through intensive, person-centred advice, casework and advocacy, the team helps people access
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Safe accommodation – including setting up council tax and utilities as well as accessing essential household items
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Financial support – including benefits, opening bank accounts and resolutions of payment issues
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Healthcare
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Immigration and legal advice
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Education – including access to English language learning (ESOL), education, and skills development opportunities
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Employment opportunities through providing support with CVs, volunteering, job searches and pathways into work or further education
The support is tailored to each person’s circumstances, helping them navigate complex systems and take steps towards greater independence and fulfilment. We work closely with other local service providers to provide support both to those seeking sanctuary and people who have received a positive asylum decision, helping them move forward with confidence.
By providing practical, specialist support at times of significant uncertainty and crisis, the Specialist Advice Team helps refugees and people seeking asylum overcome barriers, find stability and build the foundations for a more independent and connected future.
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people supported in 2025 including 235 newly recognised refugees
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successful housing outcomes
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successful welfare outcomes
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successful employability outcomes
“All advisers are kind and honest, with an open heart. Very helpful, if I ask something, everyone comes to help me. It’s not like anywhere else I have seen.”
SAT client
“I am very happy with the service. Every time I go there, they always resolve my issue for example when I needed a solicitor, with benefits and housing when I got my status. They never turned me down. There is not a time that I go there that I don’t get help. Before I got my status I was refused. I didn’t understand the letter from my solicitor and I was very worried. When I went to the Refugee Forum, they explained it all to me. They told me the reasons why and broke everything down to me so I understood. They helped me with a solicitor too. When I got my refugee status I got a caseworker at the Forum and she is very good. She helps me every time I have a problem. She always explained the steps I need to take and what will happen next. She carried me through the process.”