Why you should rent your property to a refugee family through Community Sponsorship
Renting your property to a refugee family through Community Sponsorship is one of the most significant ways in which you can contribute to resettlement. Here Jo tells us why she would encourage other landlords to do the same and answers some your key questions.
“Community Sponsorship wasn’t just pie in the sky – this was something very real on the ground that very real people were doing.”
Svenja Powell co-founded Canterbury Welcomes Refugees in 2018. We chatted to Svenja about who’s who in her group, support from local students and how to organise a fabulous fundraiser.
“You’re hoping to catch new people and inspire somebody to start another group in another locality”
Catherine’s Community Sponsorship Group, Croeso Menai, welcomed a refugee family to North Wales in February 2021 and is already preparing for a second family. The community there have been very supportive in helping Croeso Menai to smash fundraising targets and fully furnish a home for the family. Catherine shares her top tips on keeping your community engaged and enthusiastic.
Six Big Moments: St Bartholomew’s and Friends Community Sponsorship Group in Rainhill
The St Bartholomew’s group welcomed a Syrian family to their area in July 2019. We talked to leaders Ged and Paul about big moments from the first part of their Community Sponsorship experience – from bringing people together to form a friendly, dynamic group to the long-awaited trip to Manchester Airport to meet the family.
60 seconds with… Della
Della worked with a small team of volunteers to welcome three refugee nurses to Great Yarmouth. Find out why she got involved in Neighbours for Newcomers and what advice she has for other volunteers.
60 seconds with… Carol, Community Sponsor, Exeter
Carol started volunteering with her local Community Sponsorship group, CHARIS Exeter, in 2018. Here she shares the toughest and best bits about Community Sponsorship and describes an emotional reunion at Exeter airport.
“You are creating a story that they will tell for the rest of their lives.”
Abdulrahman is a member of the Waltham Forest Community Sponsorship Partnership group. Here, he tells us how his own experience of coming to the UK has informed and inspired his volunteering.
“When people say, ‘Why are you helping refugees? Won’t they be sent back?’, I’m ready with the facts.”
Carol is a volunteer with CHARIS Exeter, a Community Sponsorship group in Devon. Here she tells us how Reset boosted her confidence and gave her insights into what refugee families might have been through before arriving in the UK.
“We were one unit, one spirit, one humanity.”
In 2017, people from different faith groups across Redbridge* were brought together by one goal: they all wanted to help a Syrian family find safety in the UK. They became The Redbridge Community Sponsorship Partnership and, in June 2019, they welcomed a refugee family to their borough. Here, we talk to Qaiser Malik from South Woodford Mosque and Pete Southern from Wanstead Quakers about how the group came together.
“Our duty to our neighbours beyond the UK will still exist when we emerge from this pandemic.”
Jackie McLoughlin, founder of the Sutton Deanery Community Sponsorship Group, was awarded Maundy Money in an 800-year-old tradition which sees people doing outstanding work in their communities recognised by the reigning monarch on Maundy Thursday. Jackie tells us what Community Sponsorship means to her and why she believes that more people should be sponsoring refugees.