Trustee Annual Report
2022- 2023
This is the Trnstee Annual Report of Migrant Support Service, registration numEtr NIC107476,
and principal address at Office Unit F, Mtyfair Business Centre, 193-205 Garvaghy Rd,
Portadown, BT62 IHA. It covers the perlod of the ISI April, 2022 to the 3151 March, 2023.
On the date of approval of thls report, the charity trustees were Alicja Moates, Brendan
Macpartlin, Frank Brady, Hemlterio Mendes, Gary Moates, and Francisca Soares.
Ml8rant Support Service re8lstered as a charity on 23rd March 2020. It is unincorporated and
governed by a Constitution. Its charltable purposes are welcome and suppor¢ .migrants who
happen to be our neighbours and integrate them into a community of right relations where they
can flourish and enjoy equal opportunities and parity of esteem.
The current projecL Walking with Migrants. is funded by the National Lottery and h&8
undertaken to improve, over three years, the lives of some 900 Migrants living in the ABC Council and
general Mid Ulster area by offerln8 advice and support on a rdnge of social issues as well as advocatin8
on behalf of the individuals and thelr family.
What we have done in the 2022-23
We envi5a8ed four avenues of action relevant to newcomers namely, settling down, finding
employment, building community, recovering from the Pandemlc, and dealing with the cost￿f-1Wlng
Increases.
Categories
of Action
Immigyration
issues
No. of
Cases
392
face to
face
meetings
Aetivities
As we progress beyond the Brexit deadlines, we are faced with
increasingFly difficult immigtation cases. We had alx)ut 275 face-
to-face meetings linked with settlement status, Biometric
Residence Card applications, and visas.
Settling in
350
The c&s¢s concerned National Insurance number. Child Benefit.
Rate rebates. return penalties. Driving Licence etc.
Employment
issues
379
The cases concerned T&x credits. HMRC overpayments;
Universal Credit, Writing CVS, Job application& Pension, PIP
(Disability Allowances); research on the living wage as distinct
from the minimum wage.
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Sharing
Learning
155
People
Of155 enrolled for English about l 00 individuals have
successfully completed a language module and have shown a
noticeable improvement in their English proficiency. Many have
already secured employment. Approximately 30 children were
registered for Romanian cl&8ses where they enhanced their skills
and fornied new friendships.
Community
Services
125
The cases concerned crime preventio￿ assisting with contracts,
and help with cnergy suppliers.
Training
Events
Concerning mental health and wellbeing
Food
Poverty
1030
people
140 Food Vouchers, 90 Referrals to the food bank.
800 Xmas dinners in collaboration with the Knights of
Columbanus and Drumcree Community Centre.
Outcomes- what we have achieved
Immigration issues came to the fore with Brexit and reqUI￿d European residents to apptyfor
settlement. By helping with this we enabled hundreds to settle and 8ain confidence and increased
independence. Maria, for instance, said: "l just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the help
and support you gave me during my settlement application. Your advice and resources made
everything so much easier and helped me to feel more confjdent about starting my new life. I
really appreciate all the hard work and dedication you put into helping people like me find
stsbility and new Op￿rtUnitIes. Thanks io you, I can now look forward to this exciting new
chapter with real excitement and confidence."
The schools are good in these parts and newcomers want to see their children get into
education. Poverty is an obstacle and causes anxiety. Lengut4 for example. found that help
in this area lifted her anxiety and stress: "l am immensely thankful for your supNIrt in
securing free school meals and unifornis. Your assistance lightened our financial burden and
enabled my child to thrive in their education. Your dedication to helping families like mine is
truly appreciated. Thank you for making a meaningful difference in our lives."
Learning to speak English is key to many aspects of integration and not only involves
imparting learning and skills but also reduces isolation, builds community. and emw)wers
people with confidence in their daily interactions. Felicia's experience w&8 that it made a
differenrx: "I just wanted to say a big thank you to your organization for all the help you've
given me in learning English. Your classes and resources have made such a difference - not
only have they opened up new opportunities for me, but they've also ly)osted my confidence
and made my life richer. I'm so impressed with your dedication to educatiotL and I feel lucky
to have benefited from it. Thanks for empowering me to Communicate effectively and
achieve my goals!"
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Successes, Challenges and Learnings from Experience
The project. Walking with Migrants, was developed and is delivered by members of the
migrant community who serve as trustees, staff, and volunteers as well as those who seek our
services. Their skills are crucial in achieving our prow)sed goals. We learn from each other as
we work together. We also use user feedback is crucial to identify the needs of migrant
communities and areas of improvement in our services.
We aim to build on the strengths of those who walk with us and in that way build their
confidence. Assistance with settling down inc￿aSed peoples, confjdence in controlling their
lives and claiming their rights.
People who attended the English felt empowered to pursue job opportunities and become
active members of the community.
By helping with settlement status, benefits, and skills development people learned how to
access their entitlements, gained in self-suificiency, and leveraged their unique strengths and
experience to contribute to their communities.
Newcomers are entitled to the many services provided by many agencies but not knowing
their way afflund is a big obstacle. In providing inforn]ation and referring onwards we have
made good conneclions with the relevant statutory agencies &5 well as the Food Bank and th¢
local Borough Council (ABC). We have organised joint events with the PSNI and been
materially supported by the Knights of /Columbanus.
The rise in the cost of living has been a challenge, as it h&8 for everylx)dy, and our fijnders
have responded well to needs that arose in this context.
Brexit has changed the position of EU citizens who are resident here. So far the immigrntion
authorities have ensured that the transition has gone successfully but we think cases will be
more diificult to deal with further changes in the immigration rules. There is a scarcity of
immigration advice in Northern Ireland and we see a need to skill ourselves up to deal with
the need.
750 people benefitted from ow activities in the past financial year. The beneficiaries are
migrants living mainly in the Ix)roughs of the Am]agh City, Banbridge. and Craigavon
Council and of the Mid-ulster Council. They originated mostly in the Portuguese-speaking
countries of Europe, Asiffj Africa and Latin America as well as European and Middle Eastern
countries. The activities and services were delivered by 3 paid staff and 16 volunteers. The
totsl expenditure on these activities amounted to £99,005 during that year which w&8 met by
a total gross income of £116,393. These activities flowed from the purposes of Migrant
Support Service and are beneficial to the newcomers involved. No harni has followed from
the charity's purposes.
Signe
on behalf of the Trustees
Francisca Soares, Trustee
Brendan MacPartlin, Tr￿stee
Date:
/eq/2Q?
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