– Iftakhar – Waltham Forest Community Sponsorship Partnership
Community Sponsorship is a powerful way for ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference. It allows local groups—like faith communities, schools, neighbourhood organisations, or simply friends and neighbours—to come together and welcome a refugee family to the UK.
These families often come from refugee camps or areas affected by conflict. They arrive with their legal status already in place, ready to begin a new chapter. What they need is what we all need: a safe place to call home, a sense of belonging, and the chance to rebuild their lives with dignity.
At a time when global displacement is at record levels, and safe routes to protection are increasingly limited, Community Sponsorship offers a hopeful, human response. It gives communities the tools to offer not just practical support—like housing, language help, or navigating local services—but also friendship, trust, and a real sense of welcome.
This grassroots model doesn’t just change the lives of the families who are resettled. It also strengthens the communities that welcome them, showing what’s possible when people come together with compassion and purpose.
We hold regular online sessions where you get to hear more about community-led welcome from a member of the Reset team – and get to ask your questions and find out next steps and how we’ll support you along the way.
There are many ways to get involved with Community Sponsorship.
You can found a group yourself – building one up from your community and bringing like-minded people together. We’ll be with you every step of the way
Or maybe you’d rather join a group so you can add your skills to a group that’s established already. In which case we can put you in touch with the nearest group in your area.
One of the really key ways you can help beyond starting or joining a group – is to help us with housing.
All the groups around the country need to find a property that meets Home Office criteria and that the family can rent. The Home Office criteria for housing is:
Minimum two years tenancy.
Rent set at an affordable rate.
Must have its own access/private entrance.
Hear from the people at the heart of Community Sponsorship – the familes and community groups who have made such a huge difference all around the UK. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and access the stories we tell there.
We’re here to build this movement and we’re inviting you to join us.
Read all news and insight from our initiatives
See coverage of Reset UK in the press and media
Find out how Community Sponsorship helps refugee families in need build a new life in the UK with confidence and dignity.
How do I sponsor a refugee family? How does the process work? Reset is here to support you every step of the way.
We’ve designed toolkits to make it easy for you if you’re involved as a lead sponsor or a local authority.
Wherever you are on the fulfilling and thrilling journey through Community Sponsorship, we have training courses, videos, articles and more, all designed to help your group and the family you support.
From drop-in sessions to UK-wide networking events, we bring together people and professionals involved in all stages of the Community Sponsorship journey.
Make a direct difference in the world by getting involved with your nearest Community Sponsorship group – or starting one up yourself!
Make an extraordinary difference to the lives of people who have lost everything by signing up to our (free) Landlords for Refugees register.
Not everyone can donate their time, so if you are choosing to donate money today instead or as well as, thank you. Your generosity is vital to the work we do support community-led welcome of refugees.
Help others by sharing your account. Why were you attracted to community-led welcome? What worked, what did you learn, what has the experience been like for you?
Reset empowers volunteers to welcome refugees into communities across the UK. Find out about us and the kinds of programmes we’ve been involved with.
Research, monitoring and evaluation are essential for making evidence-based decisions that will support Community Sponsorship to grow and flourish.
Sponsoring a refugee family is a significant responsibility. We advocate for Community Sponsors to ensure that they are properly supported throughout their journey.
Our advocacy focuses on representing the views of Community Sponsors to the Home Office to support them in implementing the necessary operational changes.
We also represent the views of Community Sponsors to other key stakeholders, including Local Authorities, international organisations, the wider resettlement field, housing providers and financial institutions. We also use our voice to campaign on policies affecting refugees. We are members of the Together With Refugees coalition, campaigning for a more humane approach to people seeking protection in the UK.
