Herts Welcomes Refugees and Dacorum Borough Council

Goods in storage provided by Dacorum Borough Council

Herts Welcomes Refugees (HWR) and Dacorum Borough Council (DBC) have been working together to support refugees since the first families arrived under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.  DBC are unusual in that they decided to support arriving refugees directly, rather than engaging the Refugee Council to do this, which is the model followed by other local authorities.  This has led to a strong relationship between HWR and DBC’s Humanitarian team which has developed as demands on both organisations have changed to meet the challenges presented by the significantly increased numbers of refugees and asylum seekers in Dacorum.  Most recently, this has taken the form of DBC supporting the work of HWR with a collaborative approach to supporting refugees as they move into their own accommodation.
 
HWR has worked hard to adapt to the emerging needs of asylum seekers who have been given Leave to Remain. The charity is now getting to grips with the next phase as people navigate their way through the issues they have to deal with in finding accommodation, moving into homes, trying to find work and integrate. While the charity did not expect to get involved in dealing with furniture etc, they consider that it is important to help refugees to feel settled by having a comfortable base from which to start to rebuild their lives.  The recipients of the help are amazed and very grateful for this help. It is not just furniture and household equipment, it also shows that there are people who welcome them which in turn helps their wellbeing and confidence. 
 
DBC started to fund a storage unit in December 2023 in response to HWR’s request.  HWR found they were often offered good quality furniture and household items but had to refuse most because they could not store it.  During the Autumn of 2023, this was becoming a particular concern because of the increase in positive asylum decisions, which led to those with leave to remain looking for accommodation. DBC have worked hard to support those with leave to remain to find accommodation.  Single people and couples have moved into private rented accommodation which is either fully or partially furnished.  However families move into accommodation which is unfurnished, has no white goods and usually no flooring.
 
The storage unit has enabled HWR to store furniture and household equipment as it is offered and then distribute it as it is needed.  The fact that the charity can respond quickly is particularly helpful given that there is often very little notice given before moving.   
 
In the period December 2023 to November 2024 HWR has helped 12 families (45 people) and 35 single people - some living as new households, others living in already established Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and in two cases living alone. 
 
The charity knew all the families before they moved because they were coming to the drop-in sessions.  In addition, the charity knew some of the single men and were introduced to the rest by DBC’s Humanitarian team in the course of supporting the homelessness clinics that the team run at a drop-in or when the team referred them to one of the charity’s volunteers, who has been helping with statements in support of housing benefit. 
 
For some of the single men the charity did not know before, support has been limited to providing furniture and goods as they move in. On a positive note, for others, providing help with setting up home is leading to ongoing relationships with the charity as the men come to their drop-ins and are taking advice about signing up for language and employability courses. Where appropriate, the Charity will refer them to other services such as the Employment for Overseas Nationals programme and in some cases, Mind. 
 
Examples of the help provided by HWR:
 
A young Afghan man was referred to HWR by the Humaritarian team and came to the drop-in.  He had recently moved from a hotel that HWR does not directly support into a room in a HMO which the Humanitarian team had helped him secure.  He asked us for help with curtains and kitchen equipment, which we provided from stocks in the unit.  A volunteer told him about the ESOL course that was starting and introduced him to a tutor from Hart Learning who had come to the drop-in to sign people up for an employability course.  He signed up for that.
 
The unit has also allowed the Charity to store new, donated sleeping bags and rucksacks. They have given out 15 sleeping bags to single men following eviction when they faced periods of homelessness - sofa surfing and in some cases sleeping rough. 
 
Another example of collaborative working:
 
The Humanitarian team have contacted HWR on occasion with introductions to people wanting to donate furniture and households goods that they are aware of, either from their own contacts or through other local charities.  The charity has collected, stored and delivered additional beds, bedroom, dining and living room furniture and household items thanks to these introductions.