Refugee Resettlement Programmes

Introduction

The Refugee Resettlement team at Ashford Borough Council have been supporting individuals and families under various resettlement schemes since 2015. These include UKRS (UK Resettlement Scheme, previously known as VPRS), Afghan Resettlement (ARAP & ACRS) and most recently Homes4Ukraine.

Our role is to support those under the schemes with integration, removing barriers and enabling independence to set up and live a fulfilled life in the UK.

Families continue to be accommodated in a mix of private rented accommodation, social housing and assisted living.

The people who are going to be placed in our borough will have been screened by the Home Office before they are transported to the UK. This process provides us with useful information before they arrive such as their current level of English and whether they have children so that we can liaise with relevant organisations to get them the support they need.

These refugees may have been exposed to severe trauma in their own country and so may have specific issues and vulnerabilities that they need proper assistance with when they arrive here. Again, we will link up with relevant organisations and healthcare providers to ensure that they receive the assistance they will need.

Please see below for more information on these schemes.

SVPRS/VPRS/UKRS

The UK Resettlement scheme started off as the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme / Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme in 2015. As a Local Authority, we pledged to support 50 refugees, from war torn Syria, per year over the course of 5 years. This was then changed in 2021 to the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) as it is today. This was to combine previous resettlement scheme to encompass other war torn areas.

We continue to support families and individuals under this scheme today.

Afghan Resettlement

In 2021 we saw our first arrivals under the Afghan Relocation Assistance Policy (ARAP). In August 2021 the fall of Kabul airport to the Taliban lead to Ashford taking a Bridging Hotel. This was accommodation provided by the Home Office to provide emergency relief to those who have assisted the British Government and our armed forces in Afghanistan. This was open until August 2023 when families and individuals were dispersed into more permanent accommodation across the UK, including Ashford.

The fall of Kabul led to the creation of an alternative resettlement pathway known as Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme. This launched in January 2022.

Homes 4 Ukraine

After the war in Ukraine began, the government opened various schemes for Ukrainians to come to the UK. One of these is Homes 4 Ukraine which is a hosted placement scheme. Find out more about the scheme and how to sign up.

As a local authority, we provide support to those in a hosted placement to ensure they are set up as needed to live their best life whilst in the UK.

The idea of the Homes4Ukraine scheme is to provide support until it is safe to return. As a result, the support offered by our team varies to those who are seeking to settle more permanently.

Private Landlords

We desperately need houses in the private rented sector so that we can help more families. If you have property available that you would like to rent to a refugee family please email our resettlement team to discuss options.