Service and support:

▪ Answered more than 300 telephone calls and more than 200 emails in relation to Covid-19
▪ Found accommodation for more than 20 people so that they can leave Direct Provision and supported many more in housing and accommodation issues
▪ Convened an online meeting 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  

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:

▪ 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


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