With the recent increase in hostile rhetoric and actions aimed at refugees and asylum seekers, we have been working hard to keep people safe in Suffolk, challenge some of these narratives and inject some compassion and reason into the debate.
We have taken extra security measures to protect our clients and ourselves, and we have tried to inform the debate by providing accurate information and describing the reality of refugee experiences. We have updated our refugee and asylum facts and figures, with global, national and local data that provides context missing from so much of the coverage. We have also had this opinion piece published to take some heat out of the debate.
Perhaps most importantly, we continue to deliver our support services to refugees and asylum seekers across Suffolk consistently and with empathy and understanding. We have been strengthened in this by all the messages of support and solidarity we have received from members of the community and other voluntary sector organisations, and by the incredible response to some of our social media posts.
We will continue to ensure Suffolk remains a place of welcome and safety. We are here for the long term, supporting people to rebuild their lives and look to the future, no matter what they have been through or how they arrived here.
