POSITIVE ACTION FOR REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS

What POSITIVE ACTION FOR REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS does

Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PAFRAS) is a UK registered charity (Charity no. 1120950) founded in 2003 and headquartered in Leeds. The organization provides direct, in-person support services to asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers living in the Leeds area, addressing destitution and barriers to accessing the UK asylum system. Its core offering is a weekly Wednesday drop-in at St Aidans Community Hall in Harehills, where beneficiaries receive advice and casework, mental health support, food parcels, toiletries, and help finding legal representation. PAFRAS also runs the Young Migrants Matter project, delivering dedicated intensive casework, advocacy, and wellbeing activities for young migrants aged 16-24 with insecure immigration status, and provides multilingual interpreter services across Kurdish-Sorani, Arabic, Sudanese Arabic, Farsi, Amharic, Pashto, and Tigrinya. The organization is regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (Ref No. N201700015).

PAFRAS employs approximately 13 paid staff, complemented by 8 trustees and a wider volunteer base, many of whom have lived experience of the asylum system. The organization is a Mindful Employer and prioritizes lived experience in its volunteer recruitment. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is operationally human-intensive and conducted via physical drop-in sessions, appointments, phone, and email.

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. PAFRAS accepts financial donations through Givey, CAF, standing orders, and online bank transfers, alongside in-kind donations of food, toiletries, and clothing (the latter via St Vincent's Support Centre). It does not charge beneficiaries for services and has no disclosed institutional grants, contracts, or corporate sponsorships. Marketing and outreach are conducted through the PAFRAS website, email newsletter, and social media. Geographic scope is explicitly restricted to the Leeds area; the organization does not serve people with refugee status, those outside Leeds, or most people staying in hotels.

Name

POSITIVE ACTION FOR REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS

Legal name

Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Website

https://pafras.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PAFRAS is a Leeds-based UK charity, founded 2003, providing weekly drop-in casework, mental health support, food aid, and advocacy services to asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers in Leeds, including dedicated support for young migrants aged 16-24.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Asylum Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624), Community Food Services (62421)

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), Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI)

Keywords

• Asylum seeker support
• Refugee assistance services
• Humanitarian casework
• Destitution support
• Immigration advice services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

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. Financial Donations: PAFRAS relies on regular financial donations from supporters to provide services. Donations accepted via online platforms (Givey, CAF), standing order bank transfers, and online bank transfers.
2. In-Kind Donations: Accepts donations of tinned food, toiletries, and other essential items for distribution to service users. Also accepts clothing donations via St Vincent's.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

PAFRAS provides free, direct social services to asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers in Leeds, centred on a weekly Wednesday drop-in offering casework, mental health support, food parcels and toiletries. It also runs the Young Migrants Matter project delivering intensive casework and wellbeing activities for 16–24 year-olds with insecure immigration status, alongside professional immigration advice, advocacy and multilingual interpreter support.

Product overview

PAFRAS offers a range of integrated support services for refugees and people seeking asylum in Leeds. The core offerings include the weekly PAFRAS Drop-in service providing casework, mental health support, and essential supplies; the Young Migrants Matter project for 16-24 year olds with intensive casework and wellbeing activities; mental health assessment and referral services; professional advice and advocacy for navigating the asylum system; and volunteer interpreter services in multiple languages. These services work together to address immediate humanitarian needs while supporting longer-term access to social justice and systemic change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Young Migrants Matter: A dedicated project for young migrants aged 16-24 years old with an insecure immigration status, offering intensive casework, advice, advocacy, onward referrals, and social and wellbeing activities.

Products and services

• PAFRAS Drop-in

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• GiveycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline fundraising platform used by PAFRAS to collect online donations. 100% of money raised through Givey comes to PAFRAS.
• CAF (Charities Aid Foundation)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline donation platform used to collect donations. PAFRAS charity profile allows donors to give through CAF.
• St Vincent's Support CentresupportingOthersSt Vincent's urgently needs clothing donations which can be dropped off at their location. PAFRAS refers donors to St Vincent's for clothing donations.
• Leeds Migration PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides online resource for events, policy information and statistics. PAFRAS recommends this resource to those wanting to find out more.
• Office of the Immigration Services CommissionercoreOthersRegulatory body that regulates immigration services. PAFRAS is registered with OISC (Ref No. N201700015) indicating they provide immigration advice services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• City of Sanctuary: UK-wide network of local groups supporting people seeking asylum, with a strong Leeds presence. Comparable mission around sanctuary and inclusion; more of a movement/coordinating body than a direct service provider.
• Women for Refugee Women: UK charity supporting refugee and asylum-seeking women through advocacy and peer support. Comparable in mission and beneficiary vulnerability focus, but narrower demographic and advocacy-led rather than casework-led.

Direct peers

• Refugee Action: National charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers with advice, integration programmes and advocacy. Comparable mission and service delivery model, with larger scale and broader geographic reach than PAFRAS.
• Refugee Council: UK-wide charity providing frontline advice, casework and advocacy for asylum seekers and refugees. Directly comparable to PAFRAS in mission and service mix, but operates nationally rather than locally.
• Migrant Help: UK charity delivering advice, casework and trafficking support to asylum seekers across the UK. Directly comparable frontline services, with national reach and statutory contracts that PAFRAS lacks.
• Praxis: London-based charity supporting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers with casework, advice and advocacy. Directly comparable in service mix and beneficiary profile to PAFRAS.
• Asylum Aid: Charity providing legal representation and advice to asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children. Comparable in providing OISC-regulated immigration advice and casework for a vulnerable asylum cohort.

Regional players

• Leeds Refugee Forum: Local Leeds-based network/umbrella supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the same city as PAFRAS. Closely aligned geographic focus and beneficiary base.
• Scottish Refugee Council: Scotland's national refugee support body offering advice, casework and advocacy. Same mission and service model as PAFRAS, but operating in a separate UK jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• British Red Cross: Large incumbent humanitarian organisation providing refugee support, including family reunion, restoring family links and destitution support. Operates a much broader portfolio but has overlapping services in the asylum space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/positive-action-for-refugees-and-asylum-seekers

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about POSITIVE ACTION FOR REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS