Prisoners Abroad is thrilled to have received a five-year grant of £331,000 from City Bridge Foundation to fund the delivery of our London-based resettlement work.

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City Bridge Foundation is a 900-year-old charity which looks after Tower Bridge and four other Thames crossings at no cost to the taxpayer, and awards funding of over £30 million a year to charities across London. 

Prisoners Abroad's resettlement service was founded in 1998 and since then has supported thousands of British people who are deported back to the UK after an overseas prison sentence. This grant enables Prisoners Abroad to work with people newly returned to London, providing practical resettlement information and support, and a structured programme of 1:1 intervention that includes providing emergency accommodation to prevent street homelessness on arrival in London, referrals to access health and specialist services, access to peer support groups to tackle isolation and loneliness, and support with finding employment. 

Without our support, many people would be homeless on arrival in London and would have no chance of finding housing or work, but thanks to the practical and emotional guidance of our team, they are able to successfully reintegrate into society.

Charlotte Flinterman, Resettlement Manager at Prisoners Abroad, said:

Thanks to a 5-year grant from City Bridge Foundation, we can continue to support those who arrive in London after returning from a prison sentence abroad. Our work with this vulnerable group at a time of crisis enables people to resettle in London and be productive members of the community.

City Bridge Foundation deputy chairman Paul Martinelli said: 

We’re really pleased to be able to support Prisoners Abroad, which performs a vital role in ensuring UK citizens returning from an overseas prison sentence get the help they need to find secure accommodation, avoid homelessness and all the problems that come with it, find work and create a better future for themselves.

A service user previously imprisoned in New Zealand said of our resettlement service:

When Prisoners Abroad contacted me and let me know how they would help me once I was back, it took so much worry and stress away from me. I had no family and only kept in contact with a few friends. The friends helped me out a bit but Prisoners Abroad got me accommodation, money, food vouchers, a phone, and without them I probably would have been homeless. They helped with a range of things and so much general support that I never thought I’d need. They gave me a moving in package with house items like bedding and cooking pans, and vouchers for food – that was so helpful it gave me a really good start.

Without Prisoners Abroad I would probably be living on the street, they were amazing with help for my medical condition, accommodation and support. I have a full-time job, my own place and everything is looking good – I feel like I have a bright future now thanks to Prisoners Abroad.

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