East European Resource Centre

What East European Resource Centre does

East European Resource Centre (EERC) is a London-based, independent registered charity (reg. no. 1114607; company no. 05617439) founded in 1984 that delivers free, confidential advice and advocacy to vulnerable Central and Eastern European migrants living in the UK. The charity serves nationals of 11 EU member states (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia) plus Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, with service delivery in English, Romanian, Polish, and Ukrainian and professional interpreter support for other Eastern European languages. Its core service lines comprise welfare benefits guidance, housing and homelessness prevention advice, OISC-regulated immigration advice (including EU Settlement Scheme and Ukraine visa schemes), a domestic abuse advocacy programme, and a hate crime support service, all routed through a gateway and outreach function. EERC holds OISC registration (F201500954) for regulated immigration work and is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Gera Drymer, with Barbara Drozdowicz as CEO since 2015.

The organisation operates from its headquarters at 238-246 King Street, Hammersmith (London W6 0RF), and runs outreach drop-in sessions at partner venues including Brent Civic Centre, the Ukrainian Welcome Centre (21 Binney Street), and 30-32 Bradmore Park Road, alongside dedicated language-specific phone helplines, email intake (including a dedicated Ukraine channel), and a multilingual website. It markets through organic social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn), email bulletins, community events, and a GLA-funded webinar series for advisers and local authority officers.

EERC's business model is non-commercial: it does not charge clients for any service and has no product or technology offering. All operating income is sourced from donations and grants from individuals, trusts, and institutional funders (notably the Greater London Authority), with additional fundraising via the Charities Aid Foundation portal and Facebook fundraisers. Day-to-day operations are managed by the CEO and a programme-management team (Advice, Advocacy, Immigration, and Outreach/Gateway), with no disclosed subsidiaries, no parent entity, and no venture or institutional investment.

Name

East European Resource Centre

Legal name

East European Resource Centre

Website

https://eerc.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

East European Resource Centre is a London-based charity founded in 1984 that provides free, multilingual advice and advocacy on immigration, welfare, housing, domestic abuse, and hate crime to vulnerable Central and Eastern European migrants in the UK, funded entirely by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Migrant Support Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

Keywords

• Immigration advice services
• Welfare benefits guidance
• Housing advice
• Domestic abuse advocacy
• Hate crime support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: EERC is funded entirely through generous donations and grants from individuals, trusts, and institutional funders. The organisation does not charge clients for its services — all advice, advocacy, and support is provided free of charge. EERC also accepts donations via CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) online portal and through Facebook fundraisers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

East European Resource Centre is a London-based registered charity providing free, confidential, multilingual advice and advocacy to Central and Eastern European migrants in the UK. Its core offering spans five interconnected service areas — immigration (OISC-regulated), welfare benefits, housing, domestic abuse, and hate crime — accessed through a Gateway and Outreach programme that conducts initial assessments and routes clients to specialist advisers.

Product overview

EERC operates as a single-service charity providing a unified advice and advocacy service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is free confidential advice and support to Central and Eastern European migrants in the UK, delivered through five interconnected service areas: Welfare Advice, Housing Advice, Immigration Advice, Domestic Violence Support, and Hate Crime Support. These services are accessed through a Gateway and Outreach Programme that conducts initial assessments and routes clients to appropriate advisers. The organization also provides educational webinars and resources on immigration and housing topics. All services are delivered by multilingual staff and volunteers, with interpretation available for other Eastern European languages. Services are provided free of charge to clients, funded through donations and grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Welfare Advice Service Free, confidential guidance and support on UK welfare benefits, including understanding eligibility criteria, filing claims, contesting decisions, and managing benefits. Delivered to Central and Eastern European migrants in English, Romanian, Polish, and Ukrainian.
• Housing Advice Service Free advice on housing rights, tenant protections, and accessing accommodation support in the UK private and social housing sectors, including homelessness prevention for Central and Eastern European migrants.
• Immigration Advice Service Free, OISC-regulated immigration advice covering EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), Ukraine visa schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme, Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme), and general immigration matters. Delivered by OISC-qualified advisers.
• Domestic Violence Support Programme Free, confidential advocacy programme supporting victims of domestic abuse with safety planning, family law advice, housing, benefits, and immigration support. Includes monthly drop-in sessions for women affected by domestic abuse.
• Hate Crime Support Service Free support and advocacy for individuals who have experienced or are experiencing hate crimes, helping them navigate reporting and access appropriate services.
• Gateway and Outreach Service Initial contact and assessment service for clients, together with outreach activities aimed at reaching Central and Eastern European communities across London. Routes clients into EERC's specialist advisers.
• Information Resources and Webinars Free educational webinars and informational resources on immigration, housing, welfare, and integration topics for Central and Eastern European migrants and professionals supporting them, including Ukrainian-focused content on immigration status and housing rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free advice and advocacy provided to vulnerable Eastern European migrants across immigration, welfare, housing, domestic abuse, and hate crime
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ukrainian Welcome CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUkrainian Welcome Centre at 21 Binney St, London W1K 5BQ hosts EERC's information meetings for Ukrainian clients covering housing advice, welfare benefits, and practical guidance for living in England.
• London Borough of Hammersmith & FulhamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHammersmith & Fulham Council partners with EERC to host the monthly Ukrainian Open House event at 30-32 Bradmore Park Road, W6 0DT, building links between local communities and Ukrainian refugees.
• Brent Civic CentreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrent Civic Centre hosts EERC's monthly drop-in advice sessions on the first Thursday of each month for Eastern Europeans living in the Brent area, providing space for welfare, housing, and immigration consultations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Praxis: East London charity providing advice, accommodation, and support for migrants, refugees, and disadvantaged communities in the capital. Closely comparable London footprint and community-advice service mix.
• Roma Support Group: London charity providing advice, advocacy, and cultural support specifically to the Central and Eastern European Roma community. Most niche-comparable peer because EERC supports several overlapping CEE nationalities.
• Mary Ward Legal Centre: London-based law centre delivering free immigration, housing, and welfare advice to migrants and low-income communities. Overlaps with EERC on regulated immigration advice and London-based casework delivery.
• Migrants' Rights Network: UK-wide network supporting migrants' rights through campaigns, resources, and policy work; collaborates with grassroots advice charities. Comparable client base and influence on UK migration policy affecting EERC's beneficiaries.
• Refugee Action: National charity delivering advice, integration, and resettlement services for refugees and asylum seekers across multiple UK regions. Overlaps with EERC on welfare, housing, and immigration advice for vulnerable migrants.
• Refugee Council: UK-wide charity providing refugee and asylum advice, resettlement support, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable mission to EERC's migrant advice/advoc remit and a potential upstream referral partner for cases outside EERC's CEE scope.
• Asylum Welcome: Oxford-based charity providing advice and support to asylum seekers and refugees, including EUSS casework. Comparable because EERC's incoming Immigration Programme Manager, Nazan Ozgur, came directly from this organisation, reflecting overlapping service models.
• JCWI (Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants): London-based charity providing immigration legal advice, policy advocacy, and casework. Comparable regulatory immigration advice remit and client base (migrants facing rights violations).

Broad incumbents

• British Red Cross (Refugee Services): Large national charity whose refugee support programme includes casework, family reunion, and integration services across the UK. Comparable offerings but at much larger scale and broader migrant remit than EERC's CEE focus.

Others

• Advice UK: Membership body for independent advice charities across the UK. Comparable as an ecosystem support organisation and capacity-building partner for EERC-style independent advice charities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EERCUK
• Xx.com/EERC_UK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-european-advice-centre

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East European Resource Centre