New to Leeds? Online services guides can help

Two new online guides providing people who have recently moved to Leeds from another country with a wealth of important information on how to access a variety of services that are available in the city, have been officially launched.

Undertaken as part of Leeds City Council’s ambition with partners from the third sector to build on the support that is available to both refugees and migrants on their arrival to the city, the council has commissioned local charities Touchstone and Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support Network to develop two new websites; the ‘Leeds Transition Guide’ and ‘New to Leeds’. The experiences of refugees and migrants in Leeds have played an important part in the development of both websites.

Available on the new websites is information and practical advice regarding health and housing matters, employment opportunities and much, much more.

To view the websites, please see:

‘Leeds Transition Guide’, for refugees in Leeds: www.transitionguide.org.uk

‘New to Leeds’, a simple guide to life in Leeds: www.newtoleeds.org

Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for communities said:

“I am pleased to launch these two new websites in Leeds which will provide a range of informative and practical support to people making a new life in our city. These websites will enhance our approach to welcoming new people to Leeds and is part of a larger programme of migration work being delivered by the council with key partners. The Leeds Transition Guide and the New to Leeds websites both feature a wide range of topics to help people settle into life in Leeds with translation options provided in 20 community languages.”

Getachew Obse from Leeds is one of the migrants who helped with the development of the ‘New to Leeds’ guide. He said:

“The website has a lot of information and is attractive to use. It has a lot of information and the translation option makes it useful for people who don’t speak English. I would have definitely used something like this when I moved to Leeds.”

Jon Beech, director at Leeds Asylum Seekers’ Support Network said:

“Rebuilding your life from scratch in a foreign country is hard, and it’s not easy to find accurate and accessible advice and information. The design and content of the Transition Guide is based on what Refugees in Leeds say is important for them. They are the ones who’ve told us what information needs to be included and how it should be laid out. We were pleased to listen and to act on their good advice at every stage, and we hope that the Transition Guide makes the first few months of being a refugee a little bit easier.”