Guest post written by Andy Brims who heads up our Vineyard English School.

I wonder what you think of when you hear the word ‘refugee’?

You may have a deeply personal connection to the idea of refugees - maybe your parent or grandparent had to flee their home, and if they hadn’t you wouldn’t be where you are - either at all, or in this city at this time. Maybe it didn’t just happen to a previous generation, it is your story - you had to flee. Or maybe this isn’t part of your personal story and yet, we’re all living in a time when this is becoming one of the defining crises of our era. This affects us all.

What is the global situation?

The UN states that as of the end of 2022 there were 108 million forcibly displaced people world wide. Around half of those are internally displaced i.e. they have fled their home, but are still in their country. Then around another half, 55 million or so, have had to flee their country. Half of these are from three countries: Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. If the world is represented by a village of 100 people, 1.35 are refugees.

How is this playing out in the UK?

The current figures for the UK is that as of November 2022 there were 231,597 refugees, 127,421 pending asylum cases and 5,483 stateless persons  in the UK. The war in Ukraine drove a large increase from the previous year. If the UK is a 100 person village, 0.5 people are refugees.

What is happening in Croydon?

There are around 1400 asylum seekers housed in temporary accommodation in Croydon (nearly entirely in 5 hotels), there are also around 700 Ukranians staying with people in Croydon under the homes for Ukraine scheme, and the department for education says there are 105 unaccompanied children - mainly 15, 16, and 17 year olds in the borough.

If we add the figures for those who have been given leave to remain and are now accommodated in Croydon the total refugee population is well into the thousands. If Croydon is a village of 100 people; it’s certainly atleast the global figure of 1.35 - if not quite a bit higher, perhaps closer to 2. This is significantly higher than other parts of the UK in part due to being in London; but mainly because Croydon is one of the front doors of the UK, with Lunar house being one of the initial places a person can start their asylum claim.

Over the years, through our provision of English classes and other ministries of the church, we’ve had the privilege of contact with hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers residing in Croydon. By no means have we seen the whole picture, but we have seen some of it, here’s what we’ve learned:

Why do people come to the UK?

Most asylum seekers we’ve connected with had never previously thought of leaving their country - they were busy building lives in the country they were born in. I think of one student from a region in Asia, a business man with a family. He found himself on the wrong side of a political regime and it became clear that his friends and colleagues were disappearing. He sunk his life savings into getting tickets and initial visas to come to the UK to claim asylum.

Indeed, most people we’ve met were propelled to leave through a very real danger to their lives, and the lives of their family. Whether war (Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria); breakdown in rule of law (south America, parts of Asia); conflict along ethnic lines (Uyghur people; Armenians); or natural disaster (Afghanistan and others). I think of another student, a Uyghur person from China. Many claim that the Uyghur people are a victim of genocide - others say it’s not genocide, it’s just systematic oppression. Whatever the terminology, he had ample evidence it was not a safe place to raise his children.

Many chose the UK because it was a place they could actually get to; because it is safe; because there would be a possibility of a functional life; and because they had some kind of connection to the UK, be that through family or wider social networks.

Sometimes people end up in the UK almost by chance. I think of one of our students, who was on holiday visiting London from the Ukraine. Before her holiday had finished the war broke out, and her return flight was cancelled. She’s had to follow the war from the UK through mobile phone contact with her endangered family still in Ukraine.

What is the asylum experience in Croydon like?

The vast majority of asylum seekers are now housed in hotels. Think dormitories rather than spas: basically clean; working facilities; 3 basic meals a day. Often one family in one or two rooms, although increasingly single adults are having to share with people they have never previously met. It is designed as temporary accommodation.

However, the average length of stay in this temporary accommodation is now 82 weeks, just over 18 months, according to official figures. We’ve met an awful lot of people who have been waiting over 2 years for their claim to be processed. We see young children who are growing up in these ‘temporary’ hotels.

So, it is a waiting game. Very little information or external support given. No permission to work just an allowance of approximately £9 per week per person. Very limited possibility to travel beyond walking distance. Very limited means to cook for themselves. No eligibility for English language education until they’ve been here for 6 months. Few systems of any kind for integration into the community.

So their situation is, “you’ve fled everything you know, because if you didn’t you’re worried your family might die. Now your life is on pause, enclosed, uncertain, sit in a hotel room and wait.” The official government communication on the screen in the lobby of the hotel we teach at has been, “if you’d like to return to your country, let us know”.

The latest, as of October 2023, is that there has been a large amounts of “leave to remains” granted. That is, their asylum application has been accepted. The process is that they are then given 28 days, or in some cases 7, to leave the hotel. If required, the local authority should give them the next step. But now, more than ever, we have a sense of a system on the brink. The Red Cross did a study in the last few weeks and rated Croydon as 10/10 for housing pressure. So we’ve started to see some people evicted from the hotel, and have nowhere to go to. Many refugee charities have been warning that we could start to see ‘tent’ cities pop up in Croydon and other cities around the UK. Things can change, but as things stand that is the direction of travel.

How does the Church respond?

The Scriptures speak clearly and consistently that all people are made in God’s image; that of all people, the people of God should be very empathetic to the plight of the refugee as at so many times through our history we ourselves have been refugees. Jesus’ fleeing potential genocide into Egypt; and the consistent call to love the ‘widow, the orphan and the foreigner’ have compelled us as a church to respond. Since planting Croydon Vineyard we’ve sought to serve ‘the last, the least, and the lost’ in Jesus name, in Croydon that has to include asylum seekers and refugees.

Around 7 years ago we began visiting the queue outside Lunar house - simply offering refreshments and conversation to those waiting to begin their application. From there, we set up a weekly language class in the borrowed back hall of a church; then, a couple of years later, we went to two days a week of classes at the local library with ministries going on alongside. COVID forced us to provide digital learning and a more comprehensive educational offering. Then, as we emerged from COVID, we got to the point where we were offering twice weekly classes to students of all levels - a really strong educational provision not only to refugees and asylum seekers - but to any international who want them.

After our season of ‘contending’ prayer through Lent this year two doors opened for us. One was a bigger venue - in Centrale Shopping Centre, and the the other was an invite to do classes in the largest asylum seeker accommodation venue in the Borough - a local hotel.

Vineyard English School currently hosts classes for over 80 students a week in central Croydon, online and in local asylum centre accommodation. We seek to serve and to bless, we signpost to other service providers and provide practical support where we can. Perhaps the biggest blessing we have been is through providing a real welcome, a point of positive relational contact, and an invitation into more.

Indeed, we do seek to do more. Vineyard English School is growing, but we want to see Croydon transformed for all of its residents, including refugees and asylum seekers. If you’d like to step in an be part of that, we’d love to hear from you. A great first point of contact is Andy, who heads up our Vineyard English School - you can email him at andy@croydonvineyard.org.uk