LEEDS ASYLUM SEEKERS SUPPORT NETWORK

What LEEDS ASYLUM SEEKERS SUPPORT NETWORK does

Leeds Asylum Seekers' Support Network (LASSN) is a UK registered charity (Charity Commission number 1092647) founded in 1999 and headquartered in Leeds, operating with 11-50 staff. Its mission is to support asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds across a continuum of needs including emergency accommodation, English language learning, social befriending, and access to practical information. LASSN delivers its work through five core service programmes: English at Home (volunteer-led one-to-one ESOL tutoring in beneficiaries' homes), Hosting and Supported Houses (a community hosting network providing spare rooms and directly managed supported accommodation for destitute asylum seekers), Welcome and Connect (structured one-year befriending matching refugees with volunteers), NewToLeeds.org (an online guide to life in Leeds translated into 50 languages), and a free ESOL teaching resource library including L1 Interference Guides covering eight first languages. Supplementary offerings include a hardship fund (£25/week for 4 weeks), a hardship coordination role across nine partner organisations, and the Leeds Migration Partnership blog.

LASSN's technology footprint is a digital platform ecosystem of interconnected content websites (lassn.org.uk, newtoleeds.org, migrationpartnership.org.uk, learningenglish.org.uk via MESH) combined with free downloadable teaching materials. There is no proprietary software product, no API surface, and no mobile application; the platforms serve as content distribution and referral intake channels. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries.

The revenue model is non-commercial: LASSN is funded by individual donations (more than 25% of income), community-group donations, and grants from charitable trusts and foundations including National Lottery Reaching Communities, Leeds Community Foundation, AB Charitable Trust, Leeds Building Society Foundation, and Sir George Martin Trust. As of 12 September 2024 LASSN de-registered with Companies House and operates solely as a charity rather than as a company limited by guarantee. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on volunteer networks, referral partnerships with Leeds Refugee Forum, PAFRAS, British Red Cross, MESH, and Leeds University, and direct digital access through its websites.

Name

LEEDS ASYLUM SEEKERS SUPPORT NETWORK

Legal name

Leeds Asylum Seekers' Support Network

Website

https://lassn.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Leeds Asylum Seekers' Support Network (LASSN) is a Leeds-based UK registered charity providing asylum seekers and refugees with accommodation, volunteer English tutoring, befriending, hardship support, and translated settlement information through programs like English at Home, Hosting, Welcome and Connect, and NewToLeeds.org.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Temporary Shelters (624221)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF), Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH)

Keywords

• Asylum seeker support
• Refugee resettlement services
• ESOL tutoring programs
• Community hosting schemes
• Refugee integration 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, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual and Community Donations: LASSN benefits from a wide range of funders with more than 25% of income coming from individual donors and donations from community groups. Major benefactors include National Lottery Reaching Communities, Leeds Community Foundation, AB Charitable Trust, and Leeds Building Society Foundation.
2. Grant Funding from Charitable Trusts: Funding from institutional funders and charitable trusts including National Lottery Reaching Communities, Leeds Community Foundation, AB Charitable Trust, Leeds Building Society Foundation, and Sir George Martin Trust.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Leeds Asylum Seekers' Support Network (LASSN) is a registered UK charity providing free support services to asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds. Its core offerings include home-based English tutoring (English at Home), temporary accommodation through community hosting and supported houses, a befriending scheme (Welcome and Connect), a hardship fund for destitute asylum seekers, and settling-in information via the NewToLeeds.org multilingual portal and associated free ESOL teaching resources.

Product overview

LASSN is a charity organisation providing a portfolio of support services for asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds, UK. The offering consists of core service programs (English at Home language tutoring, Hosting/Grace Hosting temporary accommodation, Supported Houses, Welcome and Connect befriending, and the New to Leeds information portal), supplemented by free educational resources including ESOL teaching materials, L1 Interference Guides for tutors, and the Leeds Migration Partnership information blog. The services work together to provide a continuum of support from arrival through settlement, addressing accommodation, language learning, social integration, and practical information access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• English at Home A volunteer-led program that provides one-to-one English language lessons at home for asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds who cannot access college or formal ESOL provision, building language skills, confidence, and independence.
• Hosting / Grace Hosting A hosting programme where local Leeds households offer spare rooms to people seeking sanctuary, providing temporary accommodation with safety, dignity, and community support as a safety net for destitute asylum seekers.
• Supported Houses Safe, stable homes provided directly by LASSN for people seeking sanctuary, offering supported housing where individuals can rebuild their lives with dignity.
• Welcome and Connect A befriending project that pairs refugees with volunteers for up to a year of one-to-one and group activities including walking, cooking, and exploring Leeds together to build friendship and overcome barriers to work and education.
• New to Leeds (newtoleeds.org) A comprehensive online guide to Leeds written in clear English and translated into fifty languages, providing refugees and new migrants with practical information on housing, healthcare, education, legal advice, food, faith groups and community services.
• Free English Resources A free online library of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teaching materials including worksheets, lesson plans, and resources for volunteer tutors and learners, covering Entry 1 to Level 2, downloaded by 800+ tutors across 16 countries.
• Hardship Fund A winter hardship fund providing small subsistence donations (£25 per week for 4 weeks) to destitute asylum seekers who have no income, coordinated through the Leeds Refugee Forum and nine partner organisations.
• Leeds Migration Partnership Blog An online newsletter and blog covering local issues of asylum, refuge and wider migration, serving as an information hub for individuals and organisations supporting asylum seekers and refugees in Leeds.
• L1 Interference Guides Free educational guides covering how eight different home languages (Amharic, Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Kurdish Sorani, Pashto, Urdu) work, the challenges learners face when moving into English, and practical teaching ideas for volunteer tutors.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 60% of Welcome and Connect participants move into study, volunteering or work
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Leeds Refugee ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides LASSN clients with digital inclusion and advocacy support. LRF also co-ordinates the Leeds Hardship Fund for destitute asylum seekers along with 8 other organisations.
• British Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides support and advice for clients in LASSN's housing projects.
• Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PAFRAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides support and advice for clients in LASSN's housing projects.
• No Accommodation Network (NACCOM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLASSN uses their work with destitute people to inform membership of NACCOM who provide good practice and advice, and influence regional and national policy on homelessness asylum seekers and refugees.
• MESH: Migrant English Support HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLASSN is part of MESH - an online one stop shop for all English language learning opportunities in Leeds (learningenglish.org.uk).
• VolitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLASSN is a member of Volition who represent third sector organisations in Leeds with an interest in mental health and well being.
• Voluntary Action LeedsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLASSN works with Voluntary Action Leeds, the infrastructure organization for the voluntary sector in Leeds.
• Leeds City of SanctuarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLASSN supports Leeds City of Sanctuary and helped with the accreditation of Leeds City Council as a Local Authority of Sanctuary.
• Leeds UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLASSN continues to partner with Leeds University as a University of Sanctuary, having run joint activities and assisted with research. They co-developed the In Touch with Nature exhibition through the Welcoming Migrants programme.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City of Sanctuary: UK-wide network of local groups including Leeds City of Sanctuary, which LASSN actively supports. Comparable mission of building welcoming communities for people seeking sanctuary through local volunteer-led activity.
• Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PAFRAS): Leeds-based charity providing practical support, advice, and destitution relief to asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers. Direct local peer and operational partner with overlapping hardship-fund and casework services.
• Asylum Aid: UK charity providing legal advice and representation to asylum seekers, particularly vulnerable groups. Comparable target population to LASSN, with overlapping referral pathways through partner organisations.
• No Accommodation Network (NACCOM): UK network of organisations, including LASSN, providing accommodation and support to destitute asylum seekers and migrants. Comparable focus on community-based hosting models for destitute refused asylum seekers.

Broad incumbents

• Refugee Action: National charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers with advice, employment programmes, and integration services. Overlapping service mix with LASSN's Welcome and Connect and English at Home programmes but operating across multiple UK cities.
• Refugee Council: UK-wide refugee charity providing advice, integration support and advocacy. Comparable to LASSN in serving asylum seekers and refugees through direct services and policy work, but operating at a national scale rather than a single city.
• Migrant Help: UK-wide charity contracted by the Home Office to provide advice and support to asylum seekers, including destitution support. Comparable population served to LASSN but with statutory funding and broader geographic footprint.
• British Red Cross: Major UK humanitarian organisation that runs refugee support, family reunification, and supported housing programmes. Direct operational partner with LASSN and provides overlapping services at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Scottish Refugee Council: Devolved equivalent of the Refugee Council in Scotland, providing advice, housing, education and befriending services to asylum seekers and refugees. Closely comparable service mix to LASSN but serving Scotland rather than Leeds.

Emerging players

• Together Now: Volunteer-led organisation matching asylum seekers and refugees with local community members for hospitality and integration support in the UK. Closely comparable befriending and hosting model to LASSN's Welcome and Connect and Grace Hosting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lassnorguk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leeds-asylum-seekers-support-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LEEDS ASYLUM SEEKERS SUPPORT NETWORK