Rainbow Home (North East)
Established in 2012, Rainbow Home was set up jointly between MESMAC North East, a gay, bisexual and questioning men’s health project - and Northern Lights MCC. Rainbow Home offers community-based support for LGBT+ people seeking sanctuary in the UK as asylum seekers or who have recently been granted leave to remain but are not yet settled into their future path.
We are based in Newcastle, and before the pandemic we were using the church hall for a monthly lunch club, and welcome members from across the North East. From April 2016, with funding from the Allen Lane Foundation we were able to employ a part-time worker and to increase the levels of support and services on offer. We have continued to raise money so that a staff member is still employed and is now employed for 3 days a week rather than 2 days and where we can we increase this to nearly full time as there is plenty of work for the worker to undertake. We are currently recruiting a new staff member as our previous member has resigned and is working within MESMAC North East.
The fundamental aim of Rainbow Home is to reduce the marginalisation, isolation and inequalities experienced by LGBT+ asylum seekers in the North East. Social, psychological and economic marginalisation is often a significant feature in life for asylum seekers and for people identifying as LGBT+. This specific group may include people who are currently homeless and/or destitute. Accordingly inclusion, involvement and integration are key factors in mental health. The Pandemic has further impacted our members Mental Health and we have worked with MIND to offer both training and counselling.
At Rainbow Home, we provide a safe, supportive space – an opportunity to connect with others, helping members build a sense of community, to relax and gain some respite from stressful events. Mutual support within the group has become an established culture and as members grow in confidence, they encourage others. This helps in fostering a sense of self-determination and in reducing social and community isolation. Individualised support is also provided as member’s progress through the UK asylum process.
As such Rainbow Home’s specific objectives are -
Rainbow Home currently has 69 people on its books. A further 9 people have been referred on or signposted to other more appropriate organisations. Since April 2020 12 people have received leave to remain. This is a higher number than we would have expected and may in part be due to the escalation of Home Office activity in 2021 compared to the previous year due to the impact of Covid 19.
3 Rainbow Home members were unsuccessful however we are still actively involved in supporting them as they are in the process of submitting new claims.
The beneficiaries of Rainbow Home originate from countries in Africa, Asia and the Balkans - with ages ranging between 19 and 65. We have sought to increase access for women and this has started to develop and during the pandemic we have raised funds to put on a Yoga Project just for the women which gives them a chance to do something as a group. There is a clear and increasing demand for the specialist support service Rainbow Home provides and we now take every one onto our books to ensure they are supported when this is needed. They do not all need support at the same time which is why we have opened our books to larger numbers than previously supported.
In July 2017 Rainbow Home became a charity in its own right with its own Trustees, Board and Management Committee. Until this point it had been a sub-committee of the board of Northern Lights.
Rainbow Home is a completely secular project working with people of any faith or no faith. Some members do attend Northern Lights but there is no expectation of this.
We are based in Newcastle, and before the pandemic we were using the church hall for a monthly lunch club, and welcome members from across the North East. From April 2016, with funding from the Allen Lane Foundation we were able to employ a part-time worker and to increase the levels of support and services on offer. We have continued to raise money so that a staff member is still employed and is now employed for 3 days a week rather than 2 days and where we can we increase this to nearly full time as there is plenty of work for the worker to undertake. We are currently recruiting a new staff member as our previous member has resigned and is working within MESMAC North East.
The fundamental aim of Rainbow Home is to reduce the marginalisation, isolation and inequalities experienced by LGBT+ asylum seekers in the North East. Social, psychological and economic marginalisation is often a significant feature in life for asylum seekers and for people identifying as LGBT+. This specific group may include people who are currently homeless and/or destitute. Accordingly inclusion, involvement and integration are key factors in mental health. The Pandemic has further impacted our members Mental Health and we have worked with MIND to offer both training and counselling.
At Rainbow Home, we provide a safe, supportive space – an opportunity to connect with others, helping members build a sense of community, to relax and gain some respite from stressful events. Mutual support within the group has become an established culture and as members grow in confidence, they encourage others. This helps in fostering a sense of self-determination and in reducing social and community isolation. Individualised support is also provided as member’s progress through the UK asylum process.
As such Rainbow Home’s specific objectives are -
- To provide a professional opinion about why we believe an individual is LGB or T, related to their asylum claim.
- To signpost LGB or T individuals to other specialist agencies.
- To promote the service as widely as possible.
- To provide regular group activities including a monthly lunch on the third Friday of each month. This has moved to Zoom since the start of the pandemic and provides more of a coffee club.
- To provide a holistic and person-centred support service based on initial assessments.
- To provide support to LGB and T individuals who have recently been granted leave to remain but are not yet settled in the UK.
Rainbow Home currently has 69 people on its books. A further 9 people have been referred on or signposted to other more appropriate organisations. Since April 2020 12 people have received leave to remain. This is a higher number than we would have expected and may in part be due to the escalation of Home Office activity in 2021 compared to the previous year due to the impact of Covid 19.
3 Rainbow Home members were unsuccessful however we are still actively involved in supporting them as they are in the process of submitting new claims.
The beneficiaries of Rainbow Home originate from countries in Africa, Asia and the Balkans - with ages ranging between 19 and 65. We have sought to increase access for women and this has started to develop and during the pandemic we have raised funds to put on a Yoga Project just for the women which gives them a chance to do something as a group. There is a clear and increasing demand for the specialist support service Rainbow Home provides and we now take every one onto our books to ensure they are supported when this is needed. They do not all need support at the same time which is why we have opened our books to larger numbers than previously supported.
In July 2017 Rainbow Home became a charity in its own right with its own Trustees, Board and Management Committee. Until this point it had been a sub-committee of the board of Northern Lights.
Rainbow Home is a completely secular project working with people of any faith or no faith. Some members do attend Northern Lights but there is no expectation of this.