Community Sponsorship important for resettling Syrians

Following publication of the Public Accounts Committee’s progress report on the Government’s resettlement of Syrian refugees, Phil McCarthy, CEO of Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) said:

“We welcome the scrutiny of the Public Accounts Committee of the Syrian Resettlement Scheme. They are right that it will be a challenge to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees, but we believe that solid start has been made by the Home Office and local government.

“We believe that a worthwhile contribution to this can be made by the Catholic community through the Community Sponsorship scheme. One family has already found a home in the UK already under this arm of the Resettlement Scheme, hosted by St Monica’s Catholic parish in Flixton and sponsored by Caritas Salford. Other parish groups have since come forward and we are looking forward to supporting the roll-out of this scheme across other dioceses.

“The report highlights the need for the Community Sponsorship scheme to complement local authority resettlement. As St Monica’s parish has shown, it is possible for communities to collaborate successfully with national and local government to enable the UK to offer a safe home and a warm welcome to vulnerable refugees.”

Notes:

1. The Public Accounts Committee issued a report on the progress of the overall resettlement scheme which aims to resettle 20,000 Syrian refuges by 2020. The report commends the work carried out so far but warns of a lack of clarity around expectations and funding. Full report found here.
2. Parishioners from St Monica’s Catholic Church, Flixton welcomed a young Syrian family through the Home Office’s community sponsorship scheme in November. Caritas Salford is the sponsor.
3. Caritas Salford (CSAN member) is the official charity of the Diocese of Salford, with projects for those suffering from poverty, disadvantage and discrimination including homeless people and refuges.
4. CSAN is working with Caritas Salford, Caritas Shrewsbury, Caritas Westminster and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales to extend the community sponsorship scheme to other parishes and dioceses.