At its heart, LASSN is about the relationships and the connections we nurture between the people of Leeds: between people who are settled, and people who have just arrived.

Our work is about sharing a welcome, and extending kindness and care to people who are having a tough time. We create opportunities for people to show friendship and solidarity, to challenge the myths and the stereotypes that surround them; and hold on to the hope that tomorrow can be different from today.

Our Impact

LASSN is committed to demonstrating the impact we have, and how our beneficiaries and funders can see the difference we make to people’s lives.

We want to be judged against how well we measure up against our three key objectives.

LASSN wants refugees and asylum seekers to be supported & relieved from hardship & distress by local people

  • 374 asylum seekers and refugees received one to one support from LASSN. If we count the total number of children (235) and other dependents in these households (69), LASSN supported a further 304 people – an overall total of 678.
  • 3491 nights of accommodation were provided by Grace Hosts to 24 guests.
  • 213 people volunteered with LASSN.
  • £5,950 was distributed in hardship grants to 73 households.

LASSN wants refugees and asylum seekers to be empowered to rebuild their lives, to fulfil their potential & to take control of their lives

  • By connecting asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants with mentors and befrienders, 153 people were able to improve their social connections and their overall health and well-being.
  • 88 English at Home and Connection Opportunities participants successfully enrolled on a college or ESOL course, or found work
  • 46 refugees and asylum seekers, and other people lived experience of migration volunteered with LASSN: assisting with recruitment and selection; training volunteers; representing LASSN at conferences and Strategic meetings; public speaking; interpreting and translating; organising trips and socials; making films and taking photos; cooking; playing music and publicising our work 

LASSN wants refugees and asylum seekers to be integrated settled & safe. LASSN wants Leeds to be a place of welcome & understanding & for the general public, organisations, politicians & policy makers to understand the needs of asylum seekers

  • 260 asylum seekers and refugees were supported to improve their confidence in speaking and writing English, through our befriending and English at Home projects.
  • All of the people we work alongside were encouraged to find out more about life in the UK, as volunteers helped them to find their feet in Leeds, and to understand more about where they lived, and how Leeds works.
  • 266 posts on migrationpartnership.org.uk helped keep 20,000 people abreast of the changing face of asylum services in Leeds and beyond
  • The lassn.org.uk website had more than 17,000 visitors, LASSN’s Facebook page has over 2,500 likes and LASSN has 2,100 Twitter followers.