Birmingham Asian Resource Centre
Charity 1093110
Overview
Summary
Birmingham Asian Resource Centre appears to occupy a bridging role between public systems and Asian and other ethnic minority residents experiencing hardship in Birmingham. Its stated offer combines welfare advice with advocacy and resource-body functions, suggesting that it may help people navigate multiple, interdependent areas of need rather than addressing poverty through a single service. The available evidence also points to a particular concern for older people and disabled people, although the organisation’s current operational capacity is unclear because its website is unavailable.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Lozells
Confidence: high
Direct evidence identifies a current service base in Lozells and gives weekday opening hours. The organisation's own site describes active advice, wellbeing and community-support work, while Birmingham City Council lists services delivered from the centre.
- Birmingham Asian Resource Centre, 'Who We Are' page
Lists a service base in Lozells and states opening hours of Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.30pm. - Birmingham City Council directory, Birmingham Asian Resource Centre
Lists the centre in Lozells and describes sessions, practical facilities and activities for older adults from BME communities. - Charity Commission Register of Charities, charity 1093110
Records the same Lozells location and describes BARC as a social-welfare agency providing free advice and information.
Remaining uncertainties
- The evidence supports a live service base in Lozells, but does not identify any additional current delivery sites within Birmingham.
- BARC and the Charity Commission describe its reach as Birmingham-wide. This supports a citywide coverageType as a statement of service reach, but it does not show that services are routinely delivered in every ward or through satellite venues.
- Birmingham City Council states that the centre supports people in several postcode areas. This is evidence of a local catchment around the Lozells base, not sufficient evidence of distinct operational sites or neighbourhood-based delivery in each corresponding ward.
- BARC's partner page thanks supporting organisations but the available page does not identify the partners in accessible text or explain whether any partnership creates additional delivery locations.
- Some official website pages were unavailable at the time of research because the site returned an account-suspension notice; this limits verification of current activities, venues and partnerships.
Additional evidence needed
- A current annual report or project monitoring return specifying service-user geography, outreach locations and any regular delivery venues.
- A current programme timetable showing whether ESOL, wellbeing, advice or group activities take place away from the Lozells base.
- Named partner agreements or partner confirmations that identify any venues through which BARC currently delivers services.
Areas of work
- Education/training
- General Charitable Purposes
- The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
Who they help
- Elderly/old People
- People Of A Particular Ethnic Or Racial Origin
- People With Disabilities
How they help
- Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Provides Services
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A navigation service for interconnected hardship
The organisation appears to address poverty partly by helping people understand and access complex public systems, including benefits, housing, immigration and family-related services. This may position advice as its core poverty-relief mechanism rather than as a peripheral activity.
Why it matters
This helps explain why the organisation covers several subjects at once: difficulties with income, housing, health, family circumstances and immigration status can compound one another, particularly for people already in distress.
Show evidence
“BARC provides free advice and information on social security, immigration/nationality, family, housing, social and health benefits.”
Source:Organisation“The charity’s objects include the relief of poverty among Birmingham residents in need, hardship and distress.”
Source:Charity Commission
A community-specific gateway with potentially broader reach
BARC appears to be rooted in Birmingham’s Asian community while its charitable objects extend to Asian or ethnic minority communities more broadly. This may make it a culturally or linguistically trusted entry point to advice and advocacy for groups who can face barriers in mainstream services.
Why it matters
The distinction matters because the organisation may contribute not only specialist knowledge, but also accessibility and trust—capabilities that are often difficult for generalist advice services to replicate.
Show evidence
“BARC is a social welfare agency serving the needs of the Asian Community in Birmingham.”
Source:Organisation“The charity’s objects particularly refer to members of Asian or ethnic minority communities in Birmingham.”
Source:Charity Commission
Potential role beyond individual casework
Alongside direct services and advice, BARC may have a convening or capacity-building role because it is described as an umbrella or resource body. This suggests it could support organisations or community actors as well as individual residents.
Why it matters
If substantiated, this would make BARC more than a frontline advice provider: it could be part of the local infrastructure through which knowledge, referrals and community capacity are shared.
Show evidence
“The charity helps by acting as an umbrella or resource body.”
Source:Charity Commission“The charity helps by providing services and advocacy, advice or information.”
Source:Charity Commission
- Whether the organisation is currently operating, as its listed website displays an account-suspension notice.
- Which communities, languages, neighbourhoods and referral partners it currently serves.
- Whether its umbrella or resource-body role is active and how it works in practice.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent annual reports, service statistics and trustee reports showing current activity, reach and demand.
- Evidence of referral pathways, partnerships and resource-body activity with other Birmingham organisations.
- Current contact information or an updated organisational statement confirming operational status.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
BARC is a social welfare agency serving the needs of the Asian Community in Birmingham and provides free advice and information on social securiy, immigration/nationality, family, housing, social and health benefits etc.
Charity objects
TO RELIEVE POVERTY AND TO ADVANCE EDUCATION AMONGST THE INHABITANTS OF THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM AND IN PARTICULAR MEMBERS OF ASIAN OR ETHNIC MINORITY COMMUNITIES OF THE SAID CITY WHO ARE IN CONDITIONS OF NEED, HARDSHIP AND DISTRESS