UK Home Secretary and Archbishop of Canterbury launch new scheme to encourage community groups to sponsor a refugee family.
The full community sponsorship scheme will enable community groups including charities, faith groups, churches and businesses to take on the role of supporting resettled refugees in the UK.
An online service to help refugees in the UK has been developed to make it easier for any member of the public to support refugees in the UK and allow local authorities to focus support on the goods and services that refugees need.
The sponsorship scheme and online service have been launched as part of the government’s commitment to resettle thousands of the most vulnerable refugees in the UK.
The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd said, The response of the British public to the refugee crisis has been one of overwhelming generosity and many have been moved to make kind offers of assistance.
UK Home Secretary, Amber Rudd
This is a ground-breaking new development for resettlement in the UK and I wholeheartedly encourage organisations that can help to offer their support, Rudd Added.
Sponsoring organisations must have status as either a registered charity or community interest company, the consent of the local authority in which they wish to operate, and a comprehensive plan for resettlement in order to apply for the scheme.
The Home Office will consider all offers of sponsorship and check that they have the agreement of the relevant local authority.
All resettled refugees arriving in the UK, including those under full community sponsorship, will have been through a thorough security vetting process.
Sponsors will provide housing for the refugee family, as well as helping them to integrate into life in the UK, access medical and social services, arranging English language tuition and supporting them towards employment and self-sufficiency.
Lambeth Palace is the first community group to be approved to receive a refugee family and the government is working with a number of prospective sponsors and local authorities to enable their participation.
