In April 2015, a multi-agency forum was established within Halton to assess, plan and implement local delivery of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), supporting the Home Office in working closely with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify those most at risk and bring them to the UK.

In October 2017, SHAP and Plus Dane Housing began delivering a Refugee Resettlement Scheme in partnership within Halton.

The Refugee Resettlement Scheme promotes the integration and settlement of refugees into the community, enabling them to participate fully in life in the UK. The team consists of:

• Two Bi-lingual (English – Arabic, French and Kurdish speaking) Resettlement Workers
• A team of bi-lingual (English – Arabic Dari, Farsi, Tigrinya, Amharic, Oromo, Kurdish-Sorani, Greek, Russian, Turkish, Lithuanian, Urdu and Albanian speaking) self-employed interpreters
• A Scheme Co-ordinator

who work 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday and are supported by an out of hours service which provides emergency help to clients as needed.

The Resettlement Workers develop support packages for refugees who may have complex needs including housing support related needs, domestic abuse, financial problems, physical/mental health and legal/reunification issues. This work is divided into three phases:

(1) Supporting refugees in their first weeks post arrival in the community

(2) Developing programmes and activities to promote participation and inclusion in society

(3) Developing mechanisms that promote self sufficiency and independent living.

Mission Statement

Enabling people to secure and maintain their homes by tailoring support to their needs, generating a long lasting change, achieve independence and a more stable lifestyle.

How to access the scheme

How to apply:

The scheme is only able to support Syrian Refugees who are referred by the local authority, as part of the local authority resettlement programme.