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Search for press releasesNew Refugee Integration Projects Launched
3 October 2005
Six new schemes aimed at helping refugees fully integrate into UK society were launched today in Leicester, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton and London by Immigration Minister Andy Burnham.
The Time Together Project announced today, and Sunrise Pilots launched later this month, are key aspects of Integration Matters, the national refugee integration strategy launched in March this year.
Home Office Minister Andy Burnham said:
"Britain has a proud tradition of welcoming genuine refugees and the Government remains committed to ensuring they are able to make a full contribution to UK society."
The Time Together Project, run by the national charity TimeBank, will pair volunteer mentors with refugees, for five hours a month, to help them achieve their goals in education and employment and to integrate with the communities in which they live. They aim to assist 2550 refugees across the lifetime of the projects.
Time Together will run for three years and today's launch adds to the six existing schemes in Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Peterborough, Plymouth and London bringing the total number of schemes to 12. Over the project's lifetime 24 separate schemes will be established in cities across the country.
In addition, four Sunrise pilot projects, launched later this month, aim to help 1200 refugees over 27 months by providing new refugees with support from an allocated caseworker, who will help manage their transition from asylum seeker to refugee and help their early integration into life in the UK.
The projects will aim to assist with the smooth integration of refugees, breaking down barriers between communities and promoting refugees within the host community.
Mr Burnham added:
"Refugees are people who have fled persecution and found sanctuary in the UK. It is only right that we should help them to integrate. The Time Together and Sunrise projects are key elements of the Government's national refugee integration strategy and by facilitating easier, quicker integration and enabling individuals to achieve theirpotential, these schemes will help refugees make a full and positive contribution to British society as swiftly as possible.
"This will benefit not only them but also the communities which they live in. Refugees can contribute to our society both economically and culturally through work, civic responsibility and personal attainment."
Notes to Editors
The Time Together Project, jointly funded by the Home Office and Treasury's Invest to Save budget, received funding of £3.6m.
The Government's Sunrise (Strategic Upgrade of National Refugee Integration Services) pilots were first announced in the Government's Refugee Integration Strategy, Integration Matters published in March 2005 Integration Matters can be found at: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en/home/lawspolicy/refugeeintegration0.html
The pilots will cost £1.8m to run. The project will provide new refugees with support through an allocated caseworker to manage the transition from asylum seeker to refugee.
The successful Sunrise bidders are: The Scottish Refugee Council (Glasgow,) Leeds Refugee and Asylum Service (Leeds/Sheffield,) Refugee Arrivals Project (West London) and Refugee Action (Manchester).
The Sunrise pilot projects will go live in Glasgow, and London on 17 October and in Manchester and Leeds/Sheffield on 31 October.
'Controlling our borders: making migration work for Britain', the Government's five year strategy for asylum and immigration was published on 7 February 2005 (Home Office press notice 028/05).
