WHEN Rebecca was found crying on the streets of Southampton late one night, she had nowhere to sleep and no money for food.

As a failed asylum seeker she was literally penniless. She cannot work, cannot apply for housing and cannot collect benefits.

A young mother, Rebecca arrived in the UK after fleeing religious persecution in her home country where she says she was imprisoned and tortured.

But her claim for refugee status was rejected by the Home Office.

Alone and, unable to speak English, she stayed with a male acquaintance who abused her and then threw her out on the streets.

Just three months later, Rebecca’s story was told in the House of Lords at the launch of a report into the work of a local charity called Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group (SWVG).

Both the independent report, Investing in the Future, and reception were funded by the Bromley Trust to showcase the model charity and encourage other organisations to fund its work.

It was set up in 2001 by Shirley Firth, mother of Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth, and a few friends concerned about the welfare of asylum seekers detained in Winchester Prison, after being alerted to their plight by Daily Echo reporter Andrew Napier.

When the Home Office stopped imprisoning asylum seekers in the Romsey Road jail, the group continued to support those who became destitute and homeless in Southampton. The report praised SWVG for an “outstanding job” in relieving hardship and distress among refugees who would otherwise have nowhere to go.

Rebecca is among more than 200 people helped by SWVG since 2008.

The refugees came from 25 countries last year, most often Zimbabwe, Iran and Ethiopia.

Some have fled violence of civil war, while others have been imprisoned or tortured for their political or religious beliefs.

SWVG doesn’t have an office but is based one day a week at The Avenue Multicutural Centre in St Andrew’s Church, along with the British Red Cross.

Up to 100 people go to the centre on Fridays for food, friendship and advice. Yesterday, in an event organised by the Red Cross, volunteers handed out hot soup and winter clothing to refugees, many of whom will spend Christmas alone after leaving their families and home countries.

Rebecca, who is in her 20s, was put in touch with SWVG by the British Red Cross, which was first contacted when she was found on the streets.

Other refugees are referred by churches, charities and MPs.

A Pentecostal Christian, Rebecca arrived in the UK after fleeing her home country in Africa where she had been imprisoned and tortured for her religious beliefs. Her husband and father were also arrested and, after not hearing from them again, she believed they were dead.

Rebecca managed to escape but she had to leave her baby behind in the care of her aunt.

Her application for asylum on arrival in the UK was refused because of a lack of evidence, which meant the end of state support she was getting in housing and subsistence.

In desperate need, she turned to the man who exploited her.

Christine Knight, co-ordinator of SWVG, told local MPs, supporters and charities at the House of Lords reception: “He used and abused her and then threw her out on to the streets.”

It was then she was found crying in the city late on a Friday night. SWVG found her a cheap but safe bed and breakfast for the weekend, and by Monday it had found her a more permanent place to stay – a basic room in a shared house – and gave her £25 a week for food.

By Tuesday, she had an appointment to see an immigration solicitor and by Friday she had been matched with her own personal visitor, a trained volunteer who has seen her at least once a week ever since.

Today – just three months after she walked into the dropin centre – her future is looking brighter. Rebecca has her own GP, a broken tooth has been fixed, she is learning English and her solicitor believes she has a good case for making a fresh asylum claim.

A key part of the work of SWVG is helping refugees through the legal process, attending appointments and hearings, providing emotional and practical support.

Of those supported by SWVG over the last three years, 66 went on to be granted leave to remain by the Home Office.

The report’s author, Stella Smith, said: “SWVG has a massive impact on individuals’ lives.

“When people come to the SWVG they are at a really low point and very grateful for help to find accommodation, basic subsistence support and legal advice. These practicalities really are a lifeline.”

SWVG has nearly 50 volunteer befrienders and just 20 hours per week of paid administrative support. All its management posts are held by volunteers.

The report praised one-toone befriending as a “rock to support clients’ morale and steer them away from depression, negative influences and potential exploitation”.

Some 80 per cent of SWVG’s £116,000 annual income in 2010-11 was spent on clients, including renting basic rooms, £25 per week subsistence grants as well as small one-off sums for clothes, shoes, bicycle repairs or books for college.

The charity’s cash comes from grants, donations and fundraising events.

The report said: “It neither seeks nor receives any Government grants and, as a result, is not beholden to any externally imposed agenda.”

SWVG campaigns for a fairer asylum system, including ending the forced separation of parents and children and an early legal advice programme.

Mrs Knight said: “Without SWVG and similar charities, vulnerable people like Rebecca would be at great risk of further exploitation in this country.”