2021 - A Year in Review
2021 proved to be another challenging year for Just Shelter as many of our plans were thwarted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, we’re delighted to be able to tell you about some of our collective achievements and highlights from the past year.
2021 Highlights
Members of the Just Shelter team continue to help out every week at 3 local hotels. This year a new hotel in Clapham was turned into refugee accommodation with no notice being given even to the local authorities. We were alerted and able to provide immediate assistance and now help out with regular distributions. Our group of teachers have also started to run sessions with children in the hotels and hope to turn it into regular slots in 2022
In June, we were able to hold a covid-safe Just Sharing meal which was a joyous occasion. You can read more about that here.
Two wonderful local teachers ran ‘Hot Chocolate and Craft’ in the Home Community Cafe, a lovely chance for local children to turn their hand to Day of the Dead themed activities! They donated the money raised to us.
After a very long wait, we were delighted to be able to throw another Just Supper, in partnership with Home Community Cafe. The funds raised from Just Supper directly fund our Just Sharing meals where we provide a delicious free feast for local refugees.
At the beginning of December, two members of the Just Shelter team managed to make a trip across to France with a van load of items specifically requested by charities who work on the ground out there. Again, the local community rallied together and didn’t disappoint, overwhelming our donation point with everything we had asked for. We’re so grateful for their support. You can read more about the trip here.
Family Resettlement - Good News!
In August we, along with four other local charities, wrote an open letter to Wandsworth Council, urging them to engage with us to help provide refuge to Afghan families in Wandsworth as part of the Government’s Resettlement Scheme. You can read the letter below.
We’re pleased to say that this has lead to regular working sessions with relevant teams from the Council. 6 Landlords have provided suitable accommodation for families within the Borough and we’ll be helping to integrate the families into our community as soon as possible. The Council will willingly house more families if more suitable Landlords come forward - Just Shelter would especially love to find accommodation in SW18.
Campaigning
There continues to be a hostile environment to refugees. We continue to campaign against anti migration policies including:
no safe routes for refugees leading to deaths of people desperate enough to get in a boat to cross the Channel
housing refugees in unsuitable accommodation for long periods of time
The Nationalities and Borders Bill bringing in a two tier refugee system and most recently an amendment allowing the Home Secretary to strip naturalised Britons of their citizenship
Thank You
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all once again for your continued support. Here’s to 2022.
The Just Shelter Team x
