Latin American House

Who we are

Latin American House (LAH) is a BAME organisation which supports disadvantaged Latin Americans and vulnerable Portuguese and Spanish speakers throughout London and nationwide. Given our location, based in Kilburn since 1983, we also support people from the local community, mostly from BAME backgrounds. Founded in the 80’s to support victims of political persecution from dictatorships in South America, we have always adapted to the growing and evolving needs of Latin American and other Spanish and Portuguese-speaking communities.

LAH aims to improve service users’ general welfare and access to education, employment, community bonding and leisure activities. Contributing to mental health and wellbeing enabling them to participate within their community and further inclusion into the United Kingdom. We also aim to contribute to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment, promoting knowledge, and understanding of the rich diversity of Latin American culture, and collaborating with other migrant and neighbour organisations.

The charity does this directly by addressing the problems associated with life as a disadvantaged migrant in the UK such as isolation, exclusion, exploitation, language barriers, difficulty accessing services, immigration status and no recourse to public funds. In other to tackle these issues we organise our action around four pillars:

1. Legal & Social Advice Services, supporting through advice & casework in immigration law, advice in housing and employment law, debt advice through an external partner, and access to benefits and pensions.

2. Adult Education and Well-being, providing access to computers, IT and English classes, physical activities, and mental health support through counselling sessions, coaching and social workshops.

3. Bilingual nursery and Children and Young People projects, such as the Spanish Saturday School, providing lifelong skills as bilingualism from a young age.

4. Community and Cultural projects for the whole community and general audiences. Such as film screenings, language exchange groups, and arts and crafts activities.

Illustration by @drawnbytoya