Somali Advice Link aims to serve people of Somali descent living in the city of Manchester. We provide two key services to community members that include advice/support regarding: debt, housing, health, benefits, education/employment training, and all Council Services and referrals to specialist agencies. In addition we offer basic language and IT education. These services fill a gap left by the Council's closure--due to financial cuts--after 20 years of its Somali Linkworker Service project.

The benefits of our services include: improving the quality of life for an underserved community; preventing homelessness and physical/mental stress caused by debt, poor housing conditions, and lack of marketable skills; supporting community members in gaining a thorough understanding of services provided by Manchester Council; and promoting self-advocacy and community engagement as UK citizens.

Results and outcomes include: the prevention of depression, anxiety, and apathy resulting from the stress of debt and lack of knowledge of the system; the prevention of homelessness, by providing personalized support to the vulnerable (including the elderly and disabled members of the community) by linking them with the specialist services of their locality; and working with clients to problem solve and address barriers to the access of mainstream services and opportunities available to them.