Asian Resource Centre

The Asian Resource Centre in Handsworth, Birmingham was founded in 1977 and directed by community activist Ranjit Sondhi. This was in response to a growing local South Asian community which needed support with translation, housing, employment and immigration.

A film produced by ATV in 1978 highlighted the breadth of the Asian Resource Centre’s activities, including hosting yoga and dance classes, translation services and building a hostel in Handsworth for vulnerable South Asian women. The centre became a point of networking for individuals and institutions across Birmingham. In the film Here to Stay, Sondhi argued that the Asian Resource Centre was equipped to meet the needs of local South Asians because those running the centre were all young South Asian people, including figures such as the broadcaster and activist Anita Bhalla. He suggested that this was why local authorities turned to the Asian Resource Centre for advice on how to support Birmingham’s growing South Asian communities.

The organization was funded primarily by the City of Birmingham Social Services department from 1979 onwards, as well as Birmingham City Council and the Barrow-Cadbury Trust.