Service and support to people in Direct Provision:

• Answered more than 400 telephone calls and more than 200 emails in relation to Covid-19
• Found accommodation for more than 40 people so that they can leave Direct Provision and supported many more in housing and accommodation issue
• Convened online meetings of the Asylum Support Network (more than 20 support organisations across Ireland) and shared information regularly through a facilitated message board
• Advocated, in partnership with other organisations, for vulnerable people and healthcare workers to be given space to isolate and moved out of Direct Provision
• Conducted a survey of people’s experiences of Direct provision to be published in mid-June
• Coordinated more than 40 organisations to write to request an increase of €20 to the Direct Provision weekly allowance 
• Letters and advocacy to political parties around including a comittment to end Direct Provision in any manifesto

Communications:

• Partnered with Centra to deliver more than 3,000 Easter Eggs to children in Direct Provision
• Partnered with ‘We Make Good’ and the ‘Textile Studio’ on a ‘buy one, gift one’ face mask initiative
• Launched our new website
• Spoke to RTE and the BBC World Service about the situation of healthcare workers in Direct Provision

Young people and education:

• Two meetings with the University of Sanctuary movement discussing how student accommodation could be used for people in Direct Provision
• Ongoing engagement with 19 higher education institutes to finalise our 2020 Education Information Booklet
• Communicated with stakeholders on the broadening of the SUSI regulations which we have been advocated for
• Checked in with and provided support to young people including applying for the Covid-19 payment

Legal support and information:

• Support to people who are particularly ‘at-risk’ and liaising with the relevant authorities to secure safe and appropriate accommodation
• Assistance to homeless people who were unable to re-access their bed in direct provision.Assisted persons who have been wrongly excluded from Direct Provision in accessing accommodation
• Direct advice to protection applicants regarding access to the Covid-19 emergency social welfare payment
• Direct advice to applicants wishing to make new applications on how to access the international protection procedure in the current circumstances
• Sought legal opinion on the State’s responsibilities to people in congregated settings during the pandemic and submitted to Minister Flanagan and Minister Harris
• Published the Asylum Information Database report for Ireland, a detailed report analysing Ireland's protection process

Employment:

• Advocacy to the Departments of Health Justice for easier registration of health care professionals
• Assisted with ad hoc recruitment, including HSE recruitment campaign applications, and supporting persons made redundant
• Information sharing and referrals made for clients across range of issues affected by Covid 19 pandemic
• Conducted 23 phone interviews and questionnaires with refugee women, employers and external stakeholders as part of consultation process for our “Integration from Day 1” project
• Worked with more than 90 healthcare workers to access temporary accommodation so they could continue their important work and not live in Direct Provision

Staffing and support:

• Two interns brought on to the living wage
• Online team meetings
• Online Employee Assistance Programme for counselling and support

Updated 12 June 2020