Build The Sanctuary, Build Communities, Build the World ...

Cos Sheffield is organizing this fundraiser to benefit City of Sanctuary Sheffield.

The Sanctuary is a unique space; working to be a place of physical, mental, and emotional safety for refugees and people seeking asylum in the heart of Sheffield. It is a place where people find advocacy, solidarity, advice and community. It is open when others remain closed and for many people it is a home from home.

This summer we are moving out of The Sanctuary to make way for exciting building works on Chapel Walk. We are taking this opportunity to do some building of our own - vastly improving The Sanctuary for the approximately 1500 people who come through the doors each month. The Sanctuary aims to be safe and welcoming for everyone that enters, and many people consider it to be their ‘home’.

“The Sanctuary is like my Father's house”- A person seeking sanctuary who visits and uses The Sanctuary

The Plan

Our plans are rooted in listening deeply to the community who use the space and acting accordingly.

After conducting a significant community consultation (including interviewing people seeking sanctuary, volunteers, staff and partner organisations), and building upon the work already done in 2017 and 2021 as part of our iterative development of this unique space, we have redesigned the ground floor space to be:

More welcoming and safe for those seeking sanctuary.
More useful for all the groups who use the center.
More beautiful, becoming a beacon of hope in difficult times.
More tailored to the requirements of people seeking sanctuary and those working in solidarity with them.

Key improvements include:

Increasing the number of bathrooms and installing specialised washing facilities for prayer.
Increasing the size of our community kitchen and its storage capacity. This will better facilitate our weekly community meal and increase our capacity for other community groups to use this resource.
Renewed decor with beautiful and robust terracotta tiling, vinyl tiling, carpeting and repainting.
Replacing the well-used and worn furniture.
Constructing a dedicated space within our social area for children.

The Ask

Our supporters have always believed in the dream of creating a city that is safe and welcoming to all people seeking sanctuary. Sanctuary isn't an end point but a constant process of creating. As we begin this summer's rebuild, your support is once again crucial.

We need to raise an additional £15,000 to carry out our redevelopment plans.

The Sanctuary has been built by and for Sheffield's communities. It was established through the generosity and imagination of our supporters and has been held and supported by you all over the last seven years. Please donate to help us continue building a space of refuge and belonging for all.

This project is continually developing, we will keep updating this page with more information. Please contact us with any questions.

Stories from The Sanctuary

“I feel happy at The Sanctuary. I feel I can help others. You gave me power and hope, and now, I can smile again.” - a volunteer who has lived experience of seeking sanctuary

“During this very difficult time, we made contact with City of Sanctuary. We found a place where we could go during the day to have a drink and something to eat, to sit down and have a rest. We met other people who were having experiences like ours. We are so far from our families but here we met some kind people and felt that we were not alone. Some of the staff there helped us to make contact with housing organisations and at last it feels like we may be close to having a place of our own. My dream of being able to live a normal life with my wife, and maybe one day start a family, finally feels within reach.” - a couple who were made homeless after receiving their refugee status

“Before I discovered The Sanctuary, I was experiencing serious depression, isolation and loneliness. This is partly because the Home Office has housed me in an area that is alien to me and where I have no social support. At the sanctuary I have found a community that is helpful and supportive. Members of staff are committed to helping and people such as Melinda have helped ease my isolation and do everything in their power to make life bearable for me. In my case, The Sanctuary has lived up to its name, for I have found sanctuary here.” - a person who is seeking asylum who has been dispersed to Sheffield