Hackney Migrant Centre
Hackney Migrant Centre is a London-based registered charity providing free immigration, housing, and welfare advice and casework to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants through a twice-monthly Wednesday drop-in, supported by IAA authorisation and 50+ volunteers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hackney Migrant Centre does
Hackney Migrant Centre (HMC) is a registered charity (no. 1122363) and company limited by guarantee (no. 06426744) operating in the London Borough of Hackney since 2008. It provides free, expert advice and casework support to refugees, asylum seekers, and other migrants on immigration, housing, and welfare issues. The organisation is directly authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority (Ref No. N202200004) to provide immigration advice, and it delivers its services primarily through a twice-monthly Wednesday drop-in at St Mary's Church Centre in Stoke Newington, supplemented by a remote 'Collective Care Team' crisis-response service. Core service lines are integrated rather than modular: immigration advice and casework, housing and destitution casework, holistic advocacy (covering NHS registration, NHS charge advocacy, bank account opening, foodbank and hardship grants, ESOL referrals), and community wellbeing activities including hot meals and group sessions. The centre operates a co-located visiting-partner model — Islington Law Centre, Hackney Community Law Centre, Doctors of the World, Maternity Action, Patients Not Passports, and Little Village attend sessions to extend specialist capacity.
HMC's operating model is community-led and human-service based rather than technology-based; the organisation explicitly does not operate a proprietary technology platform and delivers its impact through paid staff (21 employees) plus 50+ active volunteers, many of whom are former service users. Funding is diversified across multiple trust and foundation grants (City Bridge, Lloyds Bank Foundation, Garfield Weston, AB Charitable Trust, HACK Foundation, Fund for Human Need, Naawal, Catalyst's Samaritan's Fund), local authority support (London Borough of Hackney, Welcome Hackney), individual donations via JustGiving and Giveall payroll giving, in-kind corporate and community contributions, and event-based fundraising (Hackney Half Marathon, Hackney Legal Walk, ticketed music events). All advice and support is provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Governance is by a Board of Trustees with 75% lived experience of migration.
Hackney Migrant Centre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hackney Migrant Centre
- Legal name
- Hackney Migrant Centre
- Website
- https://hackneymigrantcentre.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hackney Migrant Centre is a London-based registered charity providing free immigration, housing, and welfare advice and casework to refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants through a twice-monthly Wednesday drop-in, supported by IAA authorisation and 50+ volunteers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hackney Migrant Centre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Immigration and Migrant Support Services
- NAICS
- Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Housing Services (62422), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Diaspora, Family Reunification & Case Management Services (BPADAHAM), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG)
Keywords
Where Hackney Migrant Centre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hackney Migrant Centre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Trusts and Foundations Grants: Receives grant funding from multiple trusts and foundations including City Bridge, Lloyds Bank Foundation, Garfield Weston, AB Charitable Trust, and others. These grants support operational costs and specific programme delivery.
- Individual Donations: Receives donations from community supporters and individual contributors via JustGiving, payroll giving through Giveall, and one-time donations. Donations are tax-deductible given charitable status.
- Community and Corporate Support: Local businesses and community organisations contribute food, goods, and other in-kind support including St Mary's Church Stoke Newington, Spence Bakery, Dusty Knuckle, and others.
- Event-Based Fundraising: Fundraising events including Hackney Half Marathon places, Hackney Legal Walk participation, and music events generate both donations and community engagement.
- Local Authority Support: Grants and support from London Borough of Hackney and Welcome Hackney for continuing service provision.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free services for migrants |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Hackney Migrant Centre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hackney Migrant Centre provides free, IAA-regulated immigration advice and casework, housing and destitution casework, and holistic advocacy support (GP registration, NHS debt advocacy, foodbank and hardship grants) to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Hackney and surrounding London boroughs. Services are delivered primarily through a twice-monthly Wednesday drop-in service and supplemented by community wellbeing activities and a remote Collective Care Team.
Product overview
Hackney Migrant Centre operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organisation provides four interconnected service areas: Immigration Advice and Casework Support (IAA accredited), Housing and Destitution Casework, Holistic Advocacy Support Services, and Community and Wellbeing Activities. These services are delivered primarily through the Wednesday Drop-in Service, which serves as the central access point where visitors can access multiple services in one visit. The Collective Care Team provides supplementary remote support during crises. All services are free and targeted at vulnerable migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Hackney and surrounding London boroughs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wednesday Drop-in Service Twice-monthly face-to-face drop-in providing immigration, housing, and welfare advice alongside hot meals and community activities for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Hackney.
- Immigration Advice and Casework Support
Quantifiable outcome
- 85% of people with No Recourse to Public Funds had the restriction lifted from their visa after HMC's support
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Hackney Migrant Centre
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Hackney Migrant Centre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hackney Migrant Centre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- London Borough of HackneycoreOngoing partnership with the local authority to support services for migrants in Hackney, including financial support for people with No Recourse to Public Funds.
- Welcome HackneycorePartnership to continue supporting services for migrants in the Hackney area.
- Haringey Migrant Support CentrecorePartner in the Moving Out of Hardship project (2016-2021), supporting migrant families with specialist immigration advice and welfare support.
- Coram Children's Legal CentrecorePartner in the Moving Out of Hardship project (2016-2021), providing specialist children's legal advice.
- Islington Law CentresupportingVisiting solicitor providing housing advice at Wednesday drop-in sessions.
- Hackney Community Law CentresupportingVisiting solicitor providing housing advice at Wednesday drop-in sessions.
- Doctors of the WorldsupportingAttends Wednesday sessions to support visitors to register with a GP, provide advice on NHS healthcare charges, and complete HC1 forms.
- Patients Not PassportssupportingNational network campaigning against immigration controls in the NHS. Local Hackney PNP group supports advocacy at HMC.
- Maternity ActionsupportingReferral partner for women charged for maternity care. Provides specialist advice service for women with no recourse to public funds.
- Little VillagesupportingReferral partner providing clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to age 5, similar to a foodbank but for children's items.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hackney Migrant Centre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Migrateful: UK charity supporting asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants (employer of HMC trustee Elizabeth). Operates a community-based model addressing isolation and integration for the same beneficiary group.
- Hackney Community Law Centre: Co-located peer also delivering housing advice into HMC's Wednesday drop-in. Same borough, overlapping migrant client base, parallel community-advice operating model.
- Coram Children's Legal Centre: Project partner in the Moving Out of Hardship programme (2016-2021). Specialist migrant-children legal charity with overlapping IAA-regulated casework and family reunification focus.
- JCWI (Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants): Leading UK immigration-advice and migrant-rights organisation offering policy, casework and training. Most comparable as an IAA-regulated provider with a rights-based advocacy orientation similar to HMC's.
- Islington Law Centre: Already a HMC delivery partner, supplying visiting solicitors for housing advice at the Wednesday drop-in. Comparable community-law-centre model serving migrants in an adjacent London borough.
- Praxis: Long-established London charity providing specialist immigration advice, casework and destitution support to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Operates a similar drop-in plus casework model with IAA-regulated advisers.
- Doctors of the World UK: Partner organisation attending HMC sessions to support GP registration and NHS charge advocacy. Comparable in delivering holistic, rights-based support for excluded migrants with similar casework metrics.
- Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens: Small specialist charity where HMC trustee Sue is a board member. Highly comparable niche peer focused on irregular-status children, with overlapping IAA-regulated advice and casework.
- Haringey Migrant Support Centre: Direct peer and former project partner (Moving Out of Hardship, 2016-2021). Provides drop-in immigration and welfare advice to migrants in an adjacent London borough with very similar operational model.
Broad incumbents
- Refugee Council: Much larger national charity providing refugee resettlement, advice and advocacy. Comparable service mix but operates UK-wide with significantly larger budgets and statutory contracts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hackney Migrant Centre social profiles
Digital presenceHackney Migrant Centre compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Hackney Migrant Centre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hackney Migrant Centre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Hackney Migrant Centre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hackney Migrant Centre M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hackney Migrant Centre
What does Hackney Migrant Centre do?
Hackney Migrant Centre provides free, IAA-regulated immigration advice and casework, housing and destitution casework, and holistic advocacy support (GP registration, NHS debt advocacy, foodbank and hardship grants) to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Hackney and surrounding London boroughs. Services are delivered primarily through a twice-monthly Wednesday drop-in service and supplemented by community wellbeing activities and a remote Collective Care Team.
Is Hackney Migrant Centre a public or private company?
Hackney Migrant Centre is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hackney Migrant Centre founded?
Hackney Migrant Centre was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hackney Migrant Centre based?
Hackney Migrant Centre is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Hackney Migrant Centre make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Trusts and Foundations Grants are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations, community and Corporate Support, event-Based Fundraising and local Authority Support.
Who are Hackney Migrant Centre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Migrateful, Hackney Community Law Centre, Coram Children's Legal Centre, JCWI (Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants), Islington Law Centre, Praxis, Doctors of the World UK, Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens and Haringey Migrant Support Centre. Refugee Council is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Hackney Migrant Centre have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hackney Migrant Centre.
What industry is Hackney Migrant Centre in?
Hackney Migrant Centre's product category is Immigration and Migrant Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAI, Refugee & Immigrant Support Services, with a secondary code of BPADAHAE, Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services. Its NAICS code is 6241 and its SIC code is 8300.