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Northern Ireland's first Migrant Centre opens its doors under the umbrella of NICEM
NICEM PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed until Wednesday 4 August at 00.01hrs
NICEM are delighted to announce the opening of the Belfast Migrant Centre under the Welcome House Project.
The project has been funded with a grant of £424,276 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme.
Patrick Yu, NICEM’s Executive Director, stated: “The Belfast Migrant Centre is an exciting, ground-breaking project set up under the umbrella of NICEM. It is the only one of its kind in Northern Ireland and will provide one-stop shop services with bi-lingual staff to migrants experiencing language barriers, as well incorporate NICEM's existing outreach services to victims of racial harassment and those in crisis situations. Our advocacy and advice services will answer the wide-ranging needs of the majority of migrants in Northern Ireland. It will operate in the evenings from Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays for optimal efficiency. The centre will be up and running from 1 December 2010 in its new premises. Until then, we will run these services from our offices.”
The overall aim of the Welcome House Project is to tackle racism and eliminate barriers experienced by new migrant communities in NI through the establishment of the Belfast Migrant Centre with the following objectives:
1. Capacity building for migrant communities and migrant community organisations;
2. Building community cohesion through volunteering;
3. Equality Access to public facilities and services;
4. Support victims of racial harassment and racist attacks;
5. Increase the employability of migrants through education, training and referrals; and
6. Increase the awareness of the rights of migrants.
It will deliver through 4 complimentary programmes, namely: capacity building; social cohesion, advocacy and advice and victims’ support with the following Project outcomes:
1. Migrant community organisations will improve their capacity to govern and to participate in order to bring positive change;
2. Migrants will improve on essential skills and employability to meet social and economic needs;
3. Migrant communities will improve good relations and participate in public life;
4. Migrants will improve their capacity to get access to public facilities and services; and
5. Migrant victims will improve their mental health, emotional and social well-being.
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