To mark Refugee Week, SHP has been celebrating the four-year anniversary of our work supporting the resettlement of refugees in London. 

Since April 2016, we’ve been supporting refugees who have come to the UK as part of the Government's Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme in Waltham Forest, Lambeth and Lewisham. To date, we have supported 46 families to live in the UK. 

The scheme aims to resettle people from the Middle East and North Africa who have been affected by the conflict in Syria. This includes men, women and children at risk and those in urgent need of medical care who can’t be treated effectively in the region. 

To celebrate #RefugeeWeek – an annual celebration of the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees across the world – we've been sharing the stories and achievements of our amazing clients on social media. This includes written testimonials and videos featuring some of the children who have been supported to resettle with their families. 

In Lambeth, we are supporting 28 families, with the most recent family arriving in January.  

In Waltham Forest, we are supporting eight families, with two further families scheduled to arrive this Spring, currently delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We also previously resettled 10 families in Lewisham before the resettlement scheme ended there. 

Our Resettlement team - made up of bilingual support workers - work with the families from the day they arrive in the UK, linking them up to services and providing housing support and language lessons, so they can lead fulfilling lives in the UK. 

Ayman, who resettled in Waltham Forest said: “When my family and I came to live in the UK, it was a big change for the better. 

“We were able to get essential medical treatment for my daughter. We’ve received support from SHP, Waltham Forest council, the NHS and schools. We are very happy with our life in Britain. Thank you.” 

Future Plans 

This year, the UK is creating a new resettlement scheme to consolidate its three existing UK resettlement programmes into a global scheme.  

The Government is also widening the geographical reach of the programme, aiming to reach people in need of resettlement in countries such as Iran, Iraq, Burundi and Pakistan. 

Both councils have pledged to continue to resettle more refugees in London under the new schemes, alongside SHP. Waltham Forest have committed to resettling 25 individuals under this new scheme, and Lambeth has pledged to resettle a further 38 families over the next five years. 

 

Find out more about our work with refugees here.