Ashford extends Syrian refugee scheme
Press release
04 February 2020
Ashford will continue to welcome desperate refugee families displaced by Syria's long and bloody civil war,
Ashford Borough Council's cabinet heard that the government was amalgamating all its refugee resettlement programmes into one, called the Global Resettlement Scheme (GRS), to continue beyond 2020.
Under the old VPRS programme, Ashford welcomed 34 families totalling 146 refugees over a four-year period, with the most recent arriving in the Kent borough last October. Ashford has resettled more vulnerable families from war-torn Syria than any other district in Kent, and across the South East outside of London.
Councillors voted to continue to play an active part in the national commitment to planned refugee settlement under the new Global Resettlement Scheme, opening the door to more Syrian families desperate to make a new life away from their stricken homeland.
Cabinet was told that while
Councillors voted to extend the planned resettlement of refugees in Ashford to offer a new beginning for up to 50 people (approx. 10 families) each year under GRS, subject to the availability of suitable private rented property.
They also agreed to continue the development of projects and infrastructure to enable successful integration and promote community cohesion to benefit the wider Ashford community.
The resettlement schemes
Ashford has been very successful in supporting refugees into employment. More than half the families now have at least one family member in paid employment. Of those available for work, over 40% have secured paid employment with the rest undertaking volunteering and work experience. This is much higher than the figures nationally (3%) and
"The support from the residents of Ashford, third sector and voluntary organisations and community and faith groups continues to be key to enabling successful integration. The response has been humbling and heart-warming and I'm confident that these strong community bonds will continue to develop."
ENDS
High res image available
For more information contact:
Darren Laws
01634 671167
07958 304375
Darren.laws@zesttheagency.com