Syrian Resettlement

December 4, 2015

We are pleased to be able to announce at last that we will be working to resettle Syrian refugees direct from refugee camps in Gloucestershire!  Meetings that began in the summer were soon accelerated with the amazing outpouring of public support in early autumn, which led to the Government pledging to resettle 20 000 Syrians over the next five years.  A small number of those will come to Gloucestershire.

We are working closely with the district councils and county council and have recruited three resettlement support workers.  The are already well connected and come with brilliant experience and network contacts.  They will work to support the families settling into their new communities throughout the county, familiarising them with the locality and assisting their access to healthcare, education and employment.

We are so thankful for all the amazing offers of support and donations that keep coming in.  They will help not only those resettling on this new programme, but also with the existing clients to which we remain thoroughly committed.  We are confident that with the help of volunteers and the wider community, we will help our new neighbours in feeling as if they are a part of a connected society.

News Flash

September 7, 2015

It has been announced that the UK government will resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020.*

With money going from the Foreign Aid budget given to councils to house them, it seems unlikely that we will be relying on them staying in people’s homes. But thank you for the offers of support. If you wish to foster unaccompanied minors –children who come to the UK without their parents, then you can contact Gloucestershire County Council on 01452 427531. A fostering charity in the area is Community Foster Care, you may wish to look into as well.

Here in Gloucester, we have already started making preparations to resettle Syrian families direct from camp. We will need more support to do this, in terms of people befriending, providing extra financial assistance and practical support. If you would like to be added to the mailing list about this, please email info@garas.org.uk with details about how you’d like to be involved.

Thank you for your support and interest which has brought us to this point, and we look forward to your continued interest and working together.

* This means those currently in Calais and others travelling there will be unaffected by the government’s change in policy. If you feel further action would be appropriate, please write to your MP and No 10.