The housing association Charitable Trust has revealed the names of 10 organisations each chosen to head a project to help refugees integrate better into communities.

The projects are part of HACT’s Accommodate – Refugee Housing Partnership Project, which was launched in May. But the announcement follows a speech by Housing Corporation chief executive John Rouse at the National Housing Federation conference last month exhorting housing associations to do more to help refugees assimilate.

Responding to HACT’s announcement, Rouse said: “I am very pleased but the whole sector needs to do more. We are bringing in a strategy to ensure refugee housing is on the agenda in every region.”

The 10 are: Family Housing Association, Canopy Housing Project, Bolton Community Homes, Manchester council, Staffordshire Housing Association, Coventry Refugee Centre, Eastleigh Housing Association, Manningham Housing Association, MAAN (Somali Mental Health Project) and Yorkshire-based refugee housing project Safe Haven.

The schemes will mostly focus on housing and supporting refugees – Bolton Community Homes, for example, will help to house the growing Somali community in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

Each project will get seed funding of £5000 and support from HACT to draw up an action plan. But in January 2005 just five will be selected to receive continuing funding of a further £50,000 over two years.

Source

Housing Today