Plymouth to welcome first Syrian Refugee families

Plymouth is gearing up to welcome its first Syrian Refugee families as part of a national scheme to provide sanctuary to those fleeing conflict.

The Government announced in September that the UK would provide sanctuary to 20,000 Syrian Refugees over the next five years, and has confirmed a target of up to 1,000 refugees will be flown over to the UK by Christmas.

Plymouth is waiting for confirmation of arrangements for future funding before it commits to the exact number of refugees it will take over the five years. However, as a gesture of good will, it has agreed to a request to accommodate three families by Christmas.

Councillor Philippa Davey, Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities for Plymouth City Council, said: “We look forward to welcoming these first families, who have been through traumas in their home country that most of us can only imagine. Plymouth has a proud history of providing a safe haven for those escaping war and natural disaster, and we are pleased to be able to do our bit to help with this humanitarian crisis. We hope that the Government will come up with a funding package that will allow us to take more families during the next five years.

“As a welcoming city, and one of a number of dispersal cities for asylum seekers in the UK, we are well prepared to be able to support these vulnerable people in their time of need. The council recently welcomed a number of Afghan refugees who worked as interpreters to help our armed forces in Helmand Province, and we have the networks in place with the local voluntary sector to be able to assist.”

Participants in the scheme are subject to a full medical check-up and security vetting before entry to the UK.

To protect their privacy, the council will not be providing further details about the families, but has confirmed they will be put in temporary private sector housing on arrival.

For more information on Plymouth’s response to the refugee crisis, including how you can help, visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/refugees

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