About the Refugee Council

Founded in 1951, the Refugee Council exists to support people who come to the UK in need of safety and our purpose is to advocate with them for compassion, fairness and kindness. We achieve this by providing expert advice and casework, building the capacity of refugee community organisations, and working with allies across society to change government policy.

The Refugee Council is one of the leading organisations in the UK working with refugees and people seeking asylum.

Learn more about the Refugee Council here

About the Hotels Team

The Hotels Team forms part of the Asylum Directorate at Refugee Council and provides holistic support for clients seeking asylum in contingency accommodation, from practical support to assist them on their asylum journey, basic aid support, opportunities to learn English to advocating for their wellbeing through a number of different activities and mediums. Volunteers in this role will support the volunteer coordinator and hotel support workers in achieving the team’s aim of supporting clients seeking asylum.

For nearly two years, Mears (the contract holder for delivery of asylum dispersal accommodation) have been placing newly arrived asylum seekers in a number of hotels across the Yorkshire and Humber region. This was initially in response to a shortage of dispersed accommodation at the turn of the year. Since the emergence of the COVID-19 crisis and the resulting pause on people being evicted from their asylum accommodation however, hotel use has continued to increase in the region due to a growing lack of available accommodation for new arrivals claiming asylum.

The NET Contingency Accommodation Project has been engaging with residents in hotels in Wakefield and Leeds, Rotherham, Sheffield and Hull, delivering health briefings, English conversation, art therapy and wellbeing sessions in addition to arranging donations of clothing and other items.

About this role

Volunteers will have the opportunity to support the Hotels Team by sorting, coordinating and distributing donations of clothing for asylum seeking clients. This will require in person volunteering once a week.

What could I be doing?

• Sorting/organising clothing donations following the Sanctuary Store guidelines.
• Working with other volunteers to coordinate donations to clients under the guidance of the volunteer coordinator and hotel support worker.
• Supporting clients to select donations in an appointment basis
• Maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for clients coming to the Sanctuary Store
• Attending monthly virtual peer support meetings
• Working with, and reporting back to, the Volunteer Coordinator
• Occasionally supporting the team with welcome events and activities such as days out
• Occasionally supporting the team to source donations and get them to the hotel
• Keeping a register of clients who have attended the Sanctuary Store as well as volunteer hours

Useful skills and experience

• Experience with sorting donations/warehouse work
• Access to a car with business insurance would be desirable but not mandatory.
• Experience working in partnership with other organisations
• Ability to volunteer without supervision
• Reliable and trustworthy
• An appreciation of the importance of confidentiality and data protection
• Willingness to empathise and learning about refugee issues
• Sensitivity to working in a multi-cultural organisation and the ability to work with colleagues from other cultures
• Access to a car and business driving insurance (not mandatory)

Time commitment

3-4 hours a week (including any planning time), every Thursday 10-12pm.

Hours can be flexible according to the demands of the project.

This role may be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check. Repeat checks are initiated every two years.

You can learn more about this role by downloading our task description here [DOC].

You can apply for this role using this application form [DOC].

Interested? Contact Mohammad Juhar at mohammed.aman@refugeecouncil.org.uk for more information.