Micro Rainbow’s vision is to create a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people are safe, free from discrimination, persecution and have equal opportunities in life, including in accessing employment, training, financial services and housing. Our mission is to create opportunities for LGBTQI people to fulfil their potential in life and create innovative models for social change that are sustainable, scalable and replicable.
Our objectives are:
- to provide safe housing to LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees
- to facilitate access to employment, volunteering, training and education for LGBTQI refugees
- to research and better understand the specific issues faced LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees and to make recommendations that improve their lives.
Our core beliefs are:
- many LGBTQI people across the world are more vulnerable to poverty and isolated because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity or intersex status. When they come to the UK to seek safety they still face homelessness and discrimination.
- LGBTQI people who are homeless and trapped in poverty can break the poverty cycle if they are given the opportunity.
- addressing homelessness and poverty contribute to creating new narratives that change social attitudes towards refugees and LGBTQI people
Our principles:
- we provide hope and additional resources, but not charity;
- we do not persuade or motivate people to help themselves;
- we speak, consult and research with local communities, continuously;
- we work in partnership or not at all;
- we understand that social change takes time, and that is ok;
- we maximise and make full use of existing resources whenever possible;
- we believe that professionalism, efficiency, financial health and changing the world can go together.
Big numbers look good and we hope to achieve them, however everyone that works with us is important to us and our focus is in changing people’s lives, one at a time.