West End Refugee Service

For refugees living in the West End of Newcastle Practical help, advice and advocacy are provided through daily drop-in advice sessions, run by WERS’ multi-lingual support worker and trained volunteers.

WERS also offers home visits for those who find it difficult to visit WERS’ offices, a clothing store, where good quality second-hand clothing and household items are offered free of charge and a hardship fund, providing emergency payments to clients in extreme need. Emotional support is offered through the accredited befriending scheme

We host a free Welfare Rights drop in which is available to Newcastle residents on social security benefits, tax credits and related issues. This ranges from initial advice to assistance with challenging decisions.

We do not provide a specialist benefit advice service but do offer Newcastle residents some general support with benefit issues. For example:

• Giving people general information about benefits
• Directing people to specialist benefit advice, information or benefit administrators, or
• Possibly phoning Jobcentre Plus or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), writing or helping to write a support letter or completing a benefit claim form.