A charity that assists refugees in the Lancaster district has been awarded funding from the National Lottery.
RAIS Lancaster (Refugee Advocacy, Information and Support) supports asylum seekers and has been given a funding package for the next three years by The National Lottery Community Fund.
The National Lottery grant will enable RAIS, based at The Cornerstone on Sulyard Street, to hire a new part-time support worker.
This will give the RAIS team the capacity to become registered and qualified to give legal advice on asylum and immigration - something so desperately needed when Legal Aid solicitors can't meet the demand on their services.
RAIS will also be able to increase their outreach, collaborate further with partner organisations, and offer more volunteer supervision and training.
Caitlin Luna, Operations Manager of RAIS Lancaster said: “The successful lottery bid means that RAIS Lancaster can now enter its next chapter.
‘’It will enable us to meet the demand on its services and to continue being a welcoming, reliable place for refugees and asylum seekers in Lancaster and Morecambe as they support them on their journeys to becoming settled after so much upheaval and trauma.
‘’We’re absolutely delighted.”
Beyond Radio recently partnered with RAIS for a new series, ‘Beyond Sanctuary’, bringing you the stories of local refugee and asylum seekers.
Broadcast on the third Thursday of each month, two asylum seekers and refugees will be speaking on the radio to share their stories, music, and perspectives.
The charity started back in 2017 as a volunteer-led group to support asylum seekers and refugees in Lancaster. Since then, RAIS has grown and adapted to offer necessary advocacy to those they feel honoured to support in our area.
They offer five drop-ins a week alongside partner organisations, one-to-one appointments Monday to Friday, accompanying to hospital/GP/council/Home Office appointments, and translation in the drop-in sessions from their incredible volunteers.
RAIS is proud to be volunteer-led and to be made up an incredible team of people from all over the world.
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