Yellow Scarf

Yellow Scarf CIO (Charity Number: 1190615)

After initially running as a community group for almost 3 years, Yellow Scarf was officially established as a CIC on 16th July 2013. From the very start the organisation focused on providing assistance to migrants struggling with addictions (e.g. alcohol dependency, drugs, gambling, etc.), socially excluded/destitute or homeless. In recent years, though,

we have extended our services also to those simply overwhelmed by the day-to-day living in England, mostly because of the language barrier and limited cultural understanding. In July 2020 Yellow Scarf CIC has successfully converted into Yellow Scarf CIO. To reflect the diverse needs of our clients, our activities include:

- one-to-one and group assistance for those affected by addictions
- supporting the activities of the "Yellow Scarf Support" - The Counselling and Development Centre (Ośrodek Terapii i Rozwoju - Yellow Scarf Support)
- supporting victims of domestic violence
- providing guidance regarding access to welfare and benefits
- assisting clients in applying to the EU Settlement Scheme (we hold Level 1 OISC licence to provide immigration advice limited to the EUSS), etc. Overall, our goal is to give a helping hand to those less astute, supporting the clients in solving issues preventing them from enjoying our new homeland and setting them on a path to a more prosperous, healthy and fulfilled lives. Our activities are aimed predominantly at Eastern European migrants (mainly Polish) who find it challenging to access the mainstream services provision. While the main bulk of our activities is done one to one or in a group therapy setting, we always try to adapt these to meet the needs of the clients as well as to reflect on the current situation. As such, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have shifted to using new technologies and are now also providing support online. Over the past 6 years, though, we have also helped hundreds of individuals and families in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire as well as across the rest of the UK. Unfortunately, the demand for support has been growing rapidly for a few years now. To ensure the best level and wide-range of assistance for our clients, therefore, we have been cooperating with a number of local and national support organisations.