South London Refugee Association

What South London Refugee Association does

South London Refugee Association (SLRA) is a UK registered charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1991 and headquartered at the Woodlawns Centre in Streatham, South London. It provides free, specialist immigration and asylum advice alongside holistic casework to refugees, asylum seekers, and other migrants in crisis — principally in the South West London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, and Merton. Its service portfolio is organised into four streams: Youth Services (casework for ages 11–24, activities programmes, and the Early Intervention Project with Children's Services teams); Adults and Families Advice and Casework (immigration casework, recourse to public funds support, and domestic abuse support); Community Engagement (Community Hub, Men's Group, ESOL classes, and a Community Leaders / advocacy programme); and Training and Campaigns (professional training, plus policy campaigns such as the Immigration Support Pledge, Learning from Lived Experience, and the Community Education Project). All services are delivered free of charge. Throughput is approximately 1,037 migrants per year — including 915 via adults and families services, around 450 young people, and 218 community group participants — with 213 people annually moving on from street homelessness.

Name

South London Refugee Association

Legal name

South London Refugee Association

Website

https://slr-a.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South London Refugee Association is a registered charity founded in 1991 that provides free specialist immigration advice, holistic casework, and community programmes to refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants in crisis across South West London boroughs including Lambeth, Southwark and Merton, serving roughly 1,000 people each year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Immigration Support Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Community Housing Services (62422), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

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), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI), Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH), Refugee Reception & Registration (BPADAHAA)

Keywords

• Immigration advice services
• Refugee support services
• Asylum casework support
• Community integration programs
• Youth migrant services

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: SLRA receives donations from individuals via JustGiving platform and other channels. Suggested donation amounts include £50 for emergency food and essentials, £25 to support a young person's participation in activities, and £10 for a hot meal or travel costs.
2. Trust and Foundation Funding: SLRA is funded by Charitable Trusts and Foundations including the Community Fund (National Lottery), Henry Smith Charity, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and others. These grants fund specific projects such as the Early Intervention Project.
3. Local Government Grants: SLRA receives funding from local councils including Merton Council to deliver services such as immigration advice and the Early Intervention Project in specific London boroughs.
4. Acts 435 Direct Giving: Acts 435 is an online giving charity that allows donors to give directly to individuals (SLRA clients) referred by SLRA, with 100% of donations going directly to recipients. SLRA facilitates these grant requests as part of its support services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

South London Refugee Association (SLRA) is a registered charity delivering specialist immigration advice (regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 3) alongside holistic casework and community engagement programmes for refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants in crisis. Its offer spans Youth Services (casework, activities, Early Intervention Project), Adults and Families immigration casework, community groups (Community Hub, Men's Group, ESOL classes) and training for professionals. All services are provided free of charge to clients and supported by donations, trust and foundation grants, and local council funding.

Product overview

South London Refugee Association is a frontline community organization (not a technology company) providing immigration advice, casework, and holistic support services. The organization operates a multi-service model comprising Youth Services (casework, activities, and Early Intervention Project), Adults and Families Services (immigration casework), Community Engagement (Hub, Men's Group, ESOL classes, Community Leaders Programme), and Advocacy Campaigns. Services are delivered through specialist advisors, trained volunteers, and community leaders with lived experience. The organization also provides training for professionals and participates in policy advocacy campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Casework Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,037 migrants helped per year, with 213 people moving on from street homelessness annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Acts 435coreGTM or Marketing PartnerActs 435 is an online giving charity that allows donors to give directly to individuals referred by SLRA. With 100% of donations going directly to recipients (SLRA clients), Acts 435 bridges the gap between people who want to help and those in need. SLRA facilitates grant requests for clients in crisis, including for emergency needs such as bed frames, food, heating, clothing, and travel to appointments.
• St George's HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt George's Hospital is one of SLRA's service delivery partners, helping to provide health advice to SLRA's clients across the boroughs where they live, learn and work.
• Breaking BarriersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreaking Barriers provides employment support as part of SLRA's partnership network, helping migrants access employment opportunities alongside immigration advice and other services.
• Citizens UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizens UK offers community organising training and SLRA is a member of the Lambeth Citizens Alliance. Through this partnership, SLRA's Community Leaders participate in community organising courses and campaigns. Citizens UK also supports the Immigration Support Pledge campaign.
• Central London Law Centre (CLLC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of of SLRA's network of partners working to provide services that clients need, including legal advice and support for migrants.
• Merton CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMerton Council funds and partners with SLRA on the Early Intervention Project, providing immigration casework, advice, training for Children's Services teams, and consultancy on local policy and practice in the borough of Merton. Merton Council has also adopted the Immigration Support Pledge.
• Project 17coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLRA and Project 17 co-produced the Community Education Project, a series of three community education videos about No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), Section 17 support, and Immigration Advice. Both organisations work together on campaigning and advocacy for migrant families facing destitution.
• South London Legal (SLC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of SLRA's network of partners providing legal services and advice to migrants in South London.
• National Children's BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Children's Bureau conducted an evaluation of the Early Intervention Project and others, finding that early intervention helps young migrants get back on their feet and can generate significant cost savings for local authorities (estimated at up to £100k per young person).
• Coram Children's Legal CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLRA and Coram co-authored the 'Taking Care' report on how local authorities can best address immigration issues of children in care. Coram Young Citizens also co-developed a training video with SLRA's Young Community Leaders on the immigration support pledge.
• Lambeth CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLambeth Council partnered with SLRA on the Learning from Lived Experience report and has committed to taking recommendations on board. The council aims to become a Borough of Sanctuary and has adopted the Immigration Support Pledge. Lambeth Citizens (part of Citizens UK) collaborated on the NRPF report.
• Southwark Law CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthwark Law Centre collaborated with SLRA on the Learning from Lived Experience report, contributing to research and recommendations on improving outcomes for destitute migrant families in Lambeth.
• Young Creators UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Creators UK (YCUK), a non-profit community interest company supporting young people into creative industries, produced the Community Education Project videos for SLRA and Project 17 on NRPF, Section 17 support, and immigration advice.
• We BelongminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWe Belong, a young people's organisation, ran a workshop at the Youth Summit and Exhibition 2024 about understanding the process of getting immigration status, helping young migrants understand the system.
• Phosphoros TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhosphoros Theatre delivered drama workshops at the Youth Summit and Exhibition 2024, with 60 people participating in creative activities.
• RevokeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRevoke, a young people's housing organisation, contributed to the Youth Summit and Exhibition 2024 by hosting a discussion about housing experiences within the migrant community.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Refugee Action: National charity providing advice, advocacy and integration programmes for refugees. Comparable immigration advice and integration support but operates across multiple cities with a larger infrastructure.
• British Red Cross Refugee Support: National humanitarian organisation providing refugee support services across the UK, including casework, hardship support and integration support. Operates overlapping services to SLRA but with much broader geographic and programmatic reach.
• Refugee Council: UK's largest national refugee support charity, providing immigration advice, casework and advocacy. Closest broad incumbent to SLRA, but operating at national scale rather than hyper-local South London delivery.

Direct peers

• Project 17: UK charity supporting migrant families with No Recourse to Public Funds, providing advice and casework. Direct peer to SLRA's NRPF community work and an active co-production partner on the Community Education Project.
• Migrants Organise: London-based migrant-led charity providing immigration advice, policy advocacy and community organising. Closely comparable to SLRA's community organising, Community Leaders programme and policy advocacy.
• Praxis: London-based charity delivering immigration advice, casework and community integration for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Direct overlap with SLRA's adult casework and community programmes, focused on East/Central London rather than South London.
• Helen Bamber Foundation: London NGO combining legal protection, therapeutic care and advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers. Overlaps SLRA's specialist immigration advice and trauma-informed casework, with stronger clinical specialism.
• Breaking Barriers: London charity helping refugees into meaningful employment through advice and mentoring. Direct peer and existing SLRA partner; comparable target beneficiaries and casework-led model.

Regional players

• Mary Ward Migrant Project: East London charity providing immigration casework, hardship support and ESOL to migrants. Comparable service mix (advice, education, casework) but a different regional focus within London.

Emerging players

• City of Sanctuary UK: National network of local groups supporting people seeking sanctuary, including borough-of-sanctuary initiatives. Directly comparable to SLRA's Lambeth Borough of Sanctuary advocacy and Immigration Support Pledge work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/slracharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-london-refugee-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about South London Refugee Association