Office in Utrecht

Our office in Utrecht – Support and information Centre for Middle and Eastern European migrants

Our goal is to provide advice and support to Middle and Eastern European migrants with complex needs who want to live and work in the Netherlands, especially those who are in a crisis situation and/or in a vulnerable position.

Services

•  Help desk of Barka Foundation (first point of contact by phone and by email):
  • • providing information about Barka’s projects in the Netherlands and other countries to organizations and individuals
    • advising and supporting migrants who live and work in the Netherlands

• Social consultations:
  • advice around social benefits and health insurance
  • support in general tax related questions
  • help in arranging a debt repayment plan in case of financial problems
  • help in administration issues / filling in documents
  • issues concerning housing
  • support in cases of domestic violence
  • advice around addiction of one or both parents or child
  • helping with communication problems with school
  • advice about risk of replacement of children in a foster family
  • support in contacts with organizations such as Jeugd- en Kinderbescherming, Veilig Thuis and Politie

• Legal consultations:
  • legal advice on employment law, social security regulations and immigration law
  • informing migrants about their rights and obligations in the Netherlands
  • providing knowledge about legal regulations in the Netherlands concerning especially temporary work employment, dismissal, wage, work accident, sickness and pregnancy
  • emphasizing the need to protect the rights of workers by informing them about options to report exploitation
  • mediations with employers, mainly on salary issues
  • dealing with dishonest landlords and advice on tenancy agreements

• Preparation for employment and help in looking for work
• Organizing support in case of drug and alcohol addiction, including advice of Barka’s leader (person experienced of addictions and homelessness) and referral to detox and rehabilitation programs in the Netherlands and countries of origin

Aims of the Social Economy Centre in Utrecht:

• To help unemployed, potentially socially excluded people to rejoin the job market
• To prevent homelessness and social exclusion by supporting a person before they reach the rock bottom
• Teaching skills that help the unemployed to assimilate in a new, foreign environment.
• Providing knowledge about legal regulations in the Netherlands and emphasizing the need to protect the rights of the workers, to prevent exploitation by the employers.
• Psychological support to migrants