The Refugee Council has today welcomed the Government’s integrated communities strategy green paper, which you can read here. 

This much awaited green paper includes an acknowledgement that refugees who have come through the UK asylum system need better support to enable them to integrate in the UK and that important improvements need to be made in this area. This includes learning from the elements of the Government’s resettlement scheme that have worked most effectively.

The Refugee Council points out that it is also important to address the structural difficulties in relation to benefits and housing.

Maurice Wren, Chief Executive at the Refugee Council, said:

“We are pleased that the Government is addressing the very serious problems faced by newly recognised refugees in the UK. For years the Government has been made aware of a wealth of research showing that these refugees are forced into homelessness and destitution through no fault of their own. It is really promising that the government is finally taking heed of this research in a number of important ways, including by supporting refugees with finding employment and learning English. The Refugee Council will continue to work with the government in this vitally important area. The test of the Government’s commitment will be the appropriate resources being made available to make these vital improvements.”