A new safety and wellbeing programme is being launched to support refugees and asylum seekers.
Safe Steps – delivered by Open Door North East (ODNE) – aims to help refugees and asylum seekers feel confident, informed and connected to local communities.
The programme provides a series of workshops and one-to-one support for people living in ODNE and Home Office-supported accommodation.
The two-year initiative has received £14,868 from Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matt Storey. The grant came from his Protect and Support Fund.
Know your rights
Safe Steps focuses on helping people understand their rights, know how to report concerns and access the support.
The programme encourages confidence, connection and practical awareness. It will ensure participants know where to go for help if they experience racism, harassment or any form of discrimination.
Hate ends here
Matt Storey, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, said: “This project supports and complements the Cleveland-wide Hate Ends Here campaign, launched earlier this month.
“At a time when incidents of hate crime are rising, it’s important the most vulnerable members of our community know how to report it and where to get help.
“Hate crime is taken seriously in Cleveland and support is available for victims. We just have to make sure that some of our most vulnerable residents know that.”
Strengthening trust
Alongside group workshops, tailored support will be available for people, who need additional guidance or who want to talk confidentially about safety concerns.
Safe Steps aims to reduce isolation and strengthen trust between migrant communities, local services and the wider population in Cleveland.
By improving awareness of support routes, Safe Steps hopes to ensure people feel able to speak out and seek help. As a result, they will feel able to participate more fully and safely in community life.
Safe Steps builds on ODNE’s longstanding housing, casework and integration support.
It will also strengthen ODNE’s peer mentoring and volunteering pathways. They enable people with lived experience to share their knowledge and support with others.
Refugees and asylum seekers are often at greater risk of suffering harm but remain under-represented in victim support services.
Barriers such as language, previous trauma, cultural stigma and uncertainty about statutory services can make it harder for people to seek help.
Safe Steps aims to reduce these barriers by providing clear information, building trusted relationships and giving accessible support.
Anna Lewis, Chief Executive at ODNE, said: “Open Door North East is proud to be delivering this project on behalf of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office.
“People seeking protection in the UK are often particularly vulnerable to hate crime, which can have a profound impact on their confidence, wellbeing and sense of safety.
“Many of those people, who we support, have lived in countries where police forces were unapproachable – or even feared. It’s important they understand this is not the case in the UK, and that help and protection are available to them.
“The Safe Steps project supports our clients to recognise and report hate crime incidents, and to understand what happens next — including follow‑up processes and the support available to victims.
“Through workshops, information sessions and coordinated awareness‑raising activities, we aim to equip people with the knowledge and confidence they need to go about their daily lives feeling safe, welcome and part of their local community.”