NELMA Solidarity Hardship Fund

As NELMA, we believe that “No Recourse to Public Funds” (NRPF) is a form of state produced and enforced destitution, causing hunger and homelessness, and trapping people in conditions of exploitation and violence. The impact of NRPF is only made worse by the current coronavirus crisis which disproportionately affects Black and Minority Ethnic people, who make up the majority of those negatively affected by NRPF. The coronavirus lock down is making it even more difficult for people with NRPF to ensure that they have adequate food and shelter for their families. We don’t believe anyone should have to make terrible choices between social distancing for health reasons or accessing food, shelter, or work to survive. Increased and unpayable debt is not a solution.

Marginalised migrants, and the communities and grassroots organistions they are a part of including NELMA, should not have to step in to redress the destitution created by the UK’s NRPF policy. However, we recognise that this is an urgent emergency situation. We have set up a solidarity hardship fund for our members / volunteers, especially those who are undocumented or have NRPF.

We continue to call for the NRPF condition to be scrapped in its entirety and for the government to set up an emergency fund that supports EVERYONE in the UK to have adequate shelter, food, and other costs of living, regardless of their immigration status.

 

The NELMA Solidarity Hardship Fund is a one-time support of £30 available for NELMA members and volunteers on request. Contact  NELMAnrpfsolidarityfund@gmail.com with your name and bank details.

Accompanying scheme training session – 28 March 2020

NELMA runs regular training sessions for new volunteers for our accompanying scheme, which provides solidarity to migrants accessing support from social services.

The next training session will run on Saturday 28 March from 12:00-14:00 at MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH.

NELMA volunteers typically accompany parents who are requesting support from social services due to homelessness and/or destitution. Unlawful local authority ‘gatekeeping’ of support for families with no recourse to public funds is systemic. Families seeking support often encounter intimidation, aggression, racism, and misinformation. Our accompanying scheme is about solidarity, and providing emotional and practical support. Local authorities often behave aggressively and disrespectfully towards families in need. Often the intent is to wear people down. It can really help to have another person there.

***Places are limited so please book in advance by filling out this form https://tinyurl.com/vza3td6 If you haven’t booked in advance, please don’t turn up unannounced.***

NELMA is a grassroots network run by unpaid volunteers and we need to make sure we are using our limited resources in the right way. We ask that you only sign up for the training if you have a genuine interest in accompanying and have some availability in the week between the hours of 9am-5pm, even if only once a month/occasionally.

For more information on the accompanying scheme, see this page https://nelmacampaigns.wordpress.com/accompanying/
You can read our manifesto on our website https://nelmacampaigns.wordpress.com/nelma-manifesto/

Note on disabled access: MayDay Rooms currently only provides ambulant disabled access, and all the rooms are accessed via stairs. We regret that, despite our efforts, we were unable to book a more accessible venue for this training session. If the access restrictions will prevent you from joining this session, please get in touch with us at nelma.accompanying@gmail.com and we will arrange an alternative training for you as soon as we can.

Free School Meals Campaign Picnic

Everyone welcome! Please forward widely.

Join Nelma’s Free School Meals Campaign Picnic – 20th July

Lunch is not a luxury!
Join nelma’s free school meals campaign picnic

Saturday 20 July 2019 | 1pm–4pm | Rain or shine!
Clissold Park, in the green space across from cafe, close to the entrance across from St Mary’s Church. If it is raining, you can find us inside the church!

free food and drink / children’s activities / speeches / pay what you can NELMA free school meals campaign t-shirts and badges available on the day / learn about NELMA/ get involved

Accompanying scheme training session – 6 June 2019

NELMA runs regular training sessions for new volunteers for our accompanying scheme, which provides solidarity to migrants accessing support from social services.

The next training session will run on Thursday 6th June 2019 from 19:00-21:00 at DIY Space for London, 96-108 Ormside Street, SE15 1TF.

Accompanying scheme training session – 17 April 2019

NELMA runs regular training sessions for new volunteers for our accompanying scheme, which provides solidarity to migrants accessing support from social services. The next training session will run on Wednesday 17th April 2019 from 19:00-21:00 at MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH.

NELMA’s local victory in Hackney: A great start, but not enough

NELMA’s campaign calling on the government to provide free schools for all children who need them launched on 29 September 2018. Speaking in solidarity with the campaign, several local leaders have since publicly committed to help change the discriminatory rules that deny many children who are living in poverty a decent meal in school. This is happening because they have no access to benefits due to their parents’ immigration status.

Join NELMA’s Free School Meals campaign in 2019

THE “NO RECOURSE TO PUBLIC FUNDS” CONDITION IS KEEPING THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN, WHO NEED FREE SCHOOL MEALS, HUNGRY IN SCHOOL

Last October, The Hackney Citizen ran a local story on a national scandal— the government’s denial of free school meals to children who need them, based on their or their parents’ immigration status. Richard Brown, headteacher at Urswick School in Hackney, told the paper he hadn’t realised how many children at his school were going hungry until he discovered it “almost by accident” when the school threw a party with free food to celebrate their new Ofsted rating. Brown was surprised to see “[crowds of children] coming to eat who I’d never seen in the canteen before. The cooks that day told me they’d never made so much food.” This was Brown’s awakening to the fact that free school meals are a ‘public fund’, and that it takes more than a low income to qualify for them. In fact, children only get the opportunity to apply for free school meals if their parents already receive certain benefits. This means that families who cannot access these benefits– because they have what is known as “no recourse to public funds” as a part of their immigration status– are left out from free school meal provision in England.

Free school meal for all!

Thanks so much to everyone who came to a picnic to launch our campaign: Lunch is not a luxury on Saturday 29th September.

We gathered lots of postcards to tell @educationgovuk  why all children who need them should have access to free school meals, regardless of immigration status. #leftoutatlunch

Get in touch if you want some postcards to tell the Department of Education how you feel about their denial of free school meals to children – how it harms children who are already living in poverty, causes alienation, and bolsters systemic racism. NELMA is collecting these message to deliver to the Department.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picnic for Free School Meals! – Campaign Launch

Children from migrant families with ‘no recourse to public funds‘ are often unable to access free school meals. NELMA is launching a campaign calling for free school meals for all who need them, regardless of immigration status, and for schools to be adequately funded so that they can provide this.

Our campaign launch is a Picnic for Free School Meals on 29th September, and we would love to see you there!