Hounslow 'On Standby' to Support Afghan Refugees
Looking to work with charities and voluntary agencies to handle resettlement
Particular concern for women and children under the new regime. Picture: Hashoo Foundation
Hounslow Council says it is finalising plans to ensure it can respond to a government request that all councils play a part in providing sanctuary to Afghan migrants fleeing from the Taliban.
The council says it is working to develop a One Hounslow package of support with statutory agencies, charities and voluntary sector organisations that will ensure the right support and resettlement for vulnerable families and individuals.
Brentford & Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury says that she is continuing to receive emails from her constituents who are stranded in Afghanistan. Her caseworkers are working to help those that need support but she has reminded anybody contacting her to provide their full name and address. She is only able to provide support to those living in the constituency.
More details of how to get help are provided on this link.
Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council, said, “We are all appalled and saddened by the awful situation in Afghanistan. Our thoughts are with those trying to escape persecution and those in our communities who have friends and family there. We recognise the situation is at the front of many people’s minds and will affect residents in different ways.
“Our plans are in place so that, as a borough, Hounslow is ready to do what it can to help these refugees. It is vital that we approach this in the One Hounslow spirit, working across partnerships, and especially with Private Sector housing providers, so we can provide the welcome these refugees, who have worked at great risk to support our Government and armed forces, deserve, without putting pressure on resources we already have in place for existing residents.
"As a borough which celebrates and welcomes diversity, we have a proud history providing sanctuary to those fleeing violence and terror, supporting their settlement in the UK and helping integrate them into our communities.”
He added that they have already had residents come forward offering help describing this as ‘truly inspiring’. The council will give details of how residents can assist when the government programme is announced in full.
Cllr Curran called on the government to ‘play its part’ by adequately resourcing the new settlement scheme and financially support councils.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
August 25, 2021