Assist Sheffield

Assist Sheffield is a Sheffield-rooted charity established in 2003, dedicated to supporting destitute asylum seekers whose claims have been refused, leaving them without housing, benefits, or work rights, and often facing homelessness. Its core mission is to provide accommodation, solidarity, and practical support while challenging the UK's asylum destitution policy. Guided by values of human dignity, client empowerment, social justice, sectoral partnership, empathy, competency, and transparency, the charity envisions sanctuary seekers in Sheffield living with dignity and hope, building resilience through informed choices amid systemic failures.

It exclusively aids refused asylum seekers in hardship, prioritizing the most vulnerable—such as the unwell, elderly, pregnant, or those without other support—via direct services including its own housing or community hosting, food, emergency welfare payments, advocacy, information, signposting, appointment accompaniment, and interpreting. Weekly, it assists around 90 individuals, mobilizing community donations like furniture and funding volunteer training, with no other Sheffield charity matching this post-refusal focus.

Assist Sheffield does not accept unsolicited applications or award grants to external charities, organizations, or projects; all funding supports its internal direct relief and casework on an ongoing basis, with no deadlines, rounds, or processes for outsiders. Strictly limited to destitute asylum seekers resident in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, it excludes non-migrants, those outside the city, or indirect funding like core costs or capital grants. Distinctively, it blends immediate humanitarian aid with advocacy for migration justice, offering partnerships or client referrals rather than grants, positioning it as a unique lifeline in a failing system.