copyright David Martyn Hunt, reproduced under Creative Commons
Latin Americans are not included in community issues, Finsbury Park charities said last week in a meeting with an Islington MP.
Charities have taken the first step in coordinating together, alongside Jeremy Corbyn, Islington North MP, to help the isolated Latin Americans in Finsbury Park.
It was agreed that the “central issue” is that the general public and Islington Council have not recognised and included the Latin American population in the area. The charities acknowledged that they are unsure exactly how many immigrants have moved into Finsbury Park, making it difficult to coordinate the community.
The Council website says: “The Equalities, Refugee and Migrant Service works in partnership in a unique, joint, strategically led, way to assist refugee integration in Islington.”
Carolina Velasquez, from the Latin American Women’s Rights Service, disagreed: “[The Council] don’t talk about the presence of Latin Americans. If we are not part of the problem, we’re not going to be part of the solution.”
Mr Corbyn told the charities: “You also have a role as promoting some kind of community cohesion and consciousness.”
He suggested that the charities organise a regular social meeting point, saying: “It’s a way to bring the community in, and it’s then a social thing and an informal advice and support service for isolated people who are often very vulnerable.”
Alba Lucia Arbelaez, project development manager at the charity Carila, who organised the event, said: “It is for us to discuss common issues facing the people that we serve and build up a relationship between the Council and the work that we do.”
