What We Do

Action Foundation is an award-winning charity based in Newcastle upon Tyne providing support to disadvantaged refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants across the North East. Through our supported housing, InterAction Drop-in and casework service, Language & Learning and Young Lives projects, we aim to plug a gap in existing provision and enable vulnerable migrants to:

avoid homelessness and extreme poverty
access vital services
increase their skills and employability
access legal support
integrate and live independently.

To do this we work closely with local and national organisations including the British Red Cross, Local Authorities, North East Law Centre and the West End Refugee Service. Our work with these organisations has enabled us to arrange family reunions and secure legal support for our beneficiaries with no recourse to public funds amongst a range of other support provision.

Our Purpose

Action Foundation supports and empowers people seeking asylum, refugees and migrants in the North East to overcome immediate barriers, integrate with the community, and build skills for the future.

We do this through our five core projects:

Language and Learning
Free English lessons and employability skills for people seeking asylum, refugees and other migrants.

Interaction
Free weekly multi-agency drop-ins in Newcastle and South Tyneside where asylum seekers and refugees can access advice from outside organisations, make new friends and get a bite to eat.

Action Letting
Supported accommodation for newly granted refugees, who are at risk of homelessness during their rapid transition to mainstream housing.

Action Housing
Supported accommodation and legal support for people who have been refused asylum and are destitute.

Young Lives
We provide specialised practical, emotional and social support for asylum seeking and refugee children, families and young people.

You can read our Purpose and Values statements in Arabic, Amharic, Farsi, Kurdish and Tigrinian.

Our Values

Courage

We face challenges with honesty, determination and resilience.

Compassion

We offer a place of care, welcome, safety and belonging where everyone is valued.

Inclusion

We encourage diversity, are non-judgemental and challenge inequality.

Integrity

We do what we say, listen to feedback and adapt to change.

Accounts

Income and Expenditure 2022/23

Action Foundation is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee. Charity number 1132051. Company number 6946097. Since starting in 2006 (initially under the governance of Open Door North East) our income and expenditure has grown steadily as indicated in the graph above.

For our historic accounts, please visit our Publications page.

More information including our Annual Report of Accounts can be found on our Charity Commission page.

Our History

Action Foundation was set up by Julian Prior, a member of City Church, Newcastle upon Tyne, as an expression of his Christian faith and in response to the needs of the local community. Although we are constituted separately, City Church remain strong partners in our work through our many volunteers and the work of our board of trustees.

Beginning in 2007 by housing just one destitute asylum seeker, our work has grown steadily over the years. An ESOL summer school evolved into our now thriving Action Language service and our Action Housing/Letting, InterAction and Young Lives projects, as well as various awards, were added along the way. Today we support around 2,000 people from at least 70 different countries.