Scale of Need for RMC services
Our support
On an average day, the Refugee and Migrant Centre (RMC) will see 250- 300 people through our drop-in service to seek advice, vital support or resolve ongoing casework. In the past year alone, 19,380 beneficiaries interacted with RMC to access support on the wide range of services we provide across our offices in Birmingham, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton. The majority of beneficiaries arrive through the drop-in service, which is limited by the number of appointments slots that can be allotted. However, the demand consistently exceeds this capacity and despite RMC always trying to provide emergency support to vulnerable individuals when required, we unfortunately cannot see everyone.Â
This is where unrestricted funding is essential: it gives us the flexibility to respond to urgent needs that fall outside fixed projects. Unlike restricted funding, which is tied to set outcomes, unrestricted support enables us to act according to demand and urgency.
Provision of free, expert advice
RMC enables beneficiaries to seek professional, regulated advice on immigration and expert support on other integration matters. This advice is central to our beneficiaries being able to live independently in the UK and become contributing members of their local community. At a time of rising living costs, the importance of free immigration advice has grown significantly. It plays a pivotal role in helping refugees and migrants avoid destitution and continue being active members of society. Timely advice also prevents our beneficiaries from falling into multiple areas of vulnerability.
Community benefits
In addition to front-line support RMC deliver a wide breadth of community work, including training on topics ranging from immigration to digital access, provided to partners, professionals and beneficiaries. We also attend and host community events, including holiday celebrations. Furthermore, RMC use our front-line experience, expertise and our beneficiaries’ lived experience to influence policy, making recommendations, providing data and advocating for change.
Fundraising and Community Impact
As a registered charity, none of the life-changing support RMC are able to provide would be possible without funding. Fundraising is not only about providing services, it builds community. It improves the lives of our beneficiaries and offers supporters the opportunity to learn more about the refugee and migrant experience. Through sharing case studies and success stories, funding also allows for deeper insights into systemic challenges faced by our local community, feeding back into our policy work.
Challenges
RMC are not the only charity in the sector facing challenges with fundraising, as pots of funding become sparser and shorter in duration, funding our open door becomes increasingly difficult. Some of the challenges faced include:
- Short funding cycles: Funding periods are becoming increasingly brief. This makes it difficult to influence and measure significant social change, which can take years to manifest. Meaningful change often takes long-term investment, time given to our beneficiaries personalised needs over a long period.
- Project specific funding: Funding pots are becoming more restricted, focusing on rectifying a specific issue or involving a specific beneficiary group. Impact in these cases is typically measured against narrow, pre-set conditions. This can often not account for the complex needs of displaced people, which intersect across multiple areas of life.
- Lack of funding for core immigration work: At RMC we recognise that for our beneficiary group accessible, regulated immigration advice is often the cornerstone of the issues facing them. This area being underfunded impacts on the ability of individuals to address interconnected challenges across housing, financial independence, and employment.
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Public fundraising and unrestricted funds bridge the gaps left by short-term and restrictive funding cycles. It ensures that support remains available when project funding ends but demand continues. This enables RMC to sustain services, provide protection for marginalised groups and creates a sense of shared responsibility across communities.
How Your Gift Helps
Public fundraising and unrestricted funds enable us to do the work that restricted grants cannot always cover including:
Run our open-door service
Advice triage, provide internal interpreting, safeguarding assistance, and crisis navigation
Bridge gaps between cycles
Maintaining services when funding ends but the need persists
Move at the speed of local need
Rapid responses to misinformation or sudden policy shifts, as well as creating training resources for partners, stakeholders and members of the public
Invest in quality and dignity
Training, supervision, and systems that ensure safety and progress for clients
5 Practical Ways to Help This Month
When it comes to contributing to a cause, no amount is too small, and no effort is insignificant. Every contribution helps us create a meaningful impact in the lives of those who need it most.
1
Become a monthly giver
Predictable income allows RMC to plan beyond short grant cycles and respond quickly to surges in demand
2
Sign up to our newsletter
RMC sends monthly newsletters to its supporters to keep them up to date with the work we are doing
3
Introduce RMC to your employer
Many firms seek local partners for Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in skills, housing stability, and inclusion- all aligned with combined authority priorities
4
Be a facts ambassador
Sharing accurate information at work or online helps to challenge myths and shape fairer debates. Learn more on using our online resources
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