Our Brands
Safe Haven
Safe Haven became a member of the Group in July 2006. It was originally established in 2000 to provide accommodation and support to dispersed asylum seekers in the Yorkshire and Humberside region under a contract with the Home Office.
Safe Haven now provides the following services;
Partnership with the International Organization for Migration
In July 2004 Safe Haven established a partnership agreement with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to offer advice and assistance to refugees, asylum seekers and other migrant groups considering returning voluntarily to their country of origin. The success of Safe Haven's outreach work in this area has helped to create an enduring partnership with IOM resulting in employment for four full time and two part time Project Workers.
Working with Local Authorities to Grant Assured Shorthold Tenancies
Safe Haven has developed partnerships with many of the local authorities in the region for the provision of interim accommodation and longer term Assured Short-hold Tenancies (AST’s) through the private rented sector. The provision of AST’s may act as qualifying offers to households accepted as homeless or as a housing solution to households not accepted as homeless and therefore not in priority need. The benefits of these arrangements include stability and security for households in the private sector accommodation managed as social rented. This is also substantially better value for money than the traditional use of bed and breakfast.
Provider of Temporary and Move-On Accommodation and Support Services
Safe Haven is a provider of temporary accommodation in Leeds, Sheffield, Calderdale and Bradford. We provide AST’s for tenants in Sheffield, Calderdale, Bradford and Hull. In addition we accommodate and support Refugees in move-on hostels in Doncaster and Bradford and have a floating support scheme in Hull. We accommodate Asylum Seeker Unaccompanied Children on behalf of Sheffield Social Services and vulnerable adults supported under the National Assistance Act for local authorities in Bradford and Sheffield.
Gateway Protection Plan
Safe Haven ran the national pilot for the Government’s Gateway Protection Program in Sheffield and continues to provide properties for the program in both Sheffield and Hull. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees sends missions to the various camps around the world to assess claims for asylum. This means that those who are part of the program arrive in the country not as asylum seekers, but as refugees. This is how many other countries deal with asylum issues.
In order to deliver these services, we have 40 plus staff based in three main offices. The organisation's headquarters are based in Sheffield, services in West Yorkshire are delivered by staff based in Leeds and we have an office in Hull. We also have satellite offices based within hostels in Doncaster and Bradford.
For further information about Safe Haven please contact David Blagden, Head of Safe Haven. David.Blagden@yorkshirehousing.co.uk