SSGT believes a more humane asylum system is needed in Ireland with more effective community-led approaches to the integration of vulnerable migrants such as those in the international protection process. There should be more support and opportunities for the voice of protection applicants to be heard, particularly in issues which affect them.

SSGT has two strands of work in this area:

Supporting People in the International Protection Process

In 2023, SSGT launched a new funding programme aimed at supporting the most vulnerable women and families in the IP process including: lone parents, families with children who have additional needs, women and children who have survived abuse, victims of sex trafficking and families with deportation orders who do not have access to adequate financial or social supports. The programme focused on work that aimed to improve living conditions and pathways to support for the target beneficiaries as well as strategic work to improve the situation of the  vulnerable women and families long term.

The fund closed for applications  in March 2023 and you can find details of the projects funded in 2023 here.

Since then, the landscape for people in international protection has changed rapidly and in order to capture and understand these changes, SSGT produced a Current Context Paper to shape and inform a new grant round under the programme for 2024.  

This year’s funding will focus on supporting groups with a proven track record of advocacy work in relation to issues affecting people in international protection so that they can make time and space for strategic thinking, with a view to addressing one or more of the issues outlined in our paper, through strategic advocacy.   

The funding call opens on the 08 July and closes on the 12 August 2024. Detailed criteria including links to our online application forms can be found here. 

Community Sponsorship Grant Programme

SSGT works with the Regional Support Organisations across the island to support registered Community Sponsorship groups. programme. If you are an established Community Sponsorship Group that requires additional support, please contact your designated RSO officer for further information about the Programme.

Previous reports and programmes

Between 2014 and 2023, SSGT had two grant programmes focused on people living in direct provision centres.

The first programme (2014-2019) funded grassroots groups for the costs of activities for children to participate in sporting, recreational and cultural activities with their peers in their local community. An evaluation of that programme, Healing the wound of isolation: letting children be children, was carried out in 2019 and can be downloaded here.

The second 3-year learning programme (2016-2019) supported asylum seekers who had obtained refugee status to make the transition to independent living within their local community. The final report of the 3-year evaluation, Supporting Transition from Direct Provision is here.

The third programme, Stand Up, Speak Out (2020-2022), took a broader approach to supporting positive change for people living in direct provision. It focused on community organising, supporting participation of asylum seekers in their community, and inclusion of their voices in issues which affect them. Grants were made to five organisations and the final programme report (2023) can be found here.

Funders: These programmes are funded by a family foundation advised by Porticus, the Mercy Sisters and the Daughters of the Cross of Liege investment.