As the UK takes refugees from Afghanistan, councils across the country are looking at how they and their communities can offer a new home to new arrivals. In Oxford we also want to play our part, and we are working hard with the County Council to see how we can support Afghans in the UK. Oxford is an expensive city and we are not yet able to say whether we can offer homes here, we are working hard to understand whether the government funding and offers of community support will make it possible for people to build new lives in our city.

If you or someone you know is a refugee in Oxford looking for more information about support and living in Oxford, please visit our pages for refugees.

Government support

For those who worked alongside our military and other services, the government is offering twelve months of funding. The government has not yet published details of the scheme to settle other Afghan refugees

Housing

The government resettlement schemes for refugees provide funding to rent suitable housing through the private sector. We are working with private sector landlords to find suitable family accommodation that is within budget. Refugees are not added to the council housing list when they are part of a resettlement scheme.

Landlords: could you rent a home to a refugee family?

We are looking for more private sector landlords to consider renting property through the resettlement programme. 

The council is initially looking for up to ten family homes that can be rented at or near the Local Housing Allowance.

The funding provides security for a full twelve month contract, and families will receive additional support from local authorities and partners to establish their lives in the UK. Oxford City Council has joined other local authorities in lobbying for the Government to extend the duration of this scheme. Experienced council staff will support landlords and tenants through the process of resettlement and provide ongoing support for the tenancy.

To find out more information or offer property please email refugeehousing@oxford.gov.uk

Support services

Refugees, from Afghanistan or other countries, will need support to settle in to life in a new country. We work with the County Council to ensure all the appropriate services are available – often referred to as ‘wrap around services’. This includes adult and child social care if needed, places at schools and with local GPs. Government funding for the resettlement schemes helps provide these services.

Get involved - community support

Oxford’s communities have already come forward with generous offers of support. Donations of clothes, toys, toiletries etc have been welcome, but we now have enough of these items for local needs.

If you would like to make a donation, no matter how small, please consider donating to a local refugee charity that supports those in most need no matter where they are from. In Oxford, Asylum Welcome and Refugee Resource both work with the Council to support refugees and asylum seekers. The money gives them the flexibility to provide specific items people need, or to pay for counselling, language skills or other services, as needed.

Our partners

We are working closely with partners across the county to support refugees in Oxford. We are a diverse city and support migrant and refugee communities from many different countries.

We work closely with the County Council, which provides health, education and social care support.

We have some great charities based in Oxford that work across the county to support refugees and asylum seekers. These include Asylum Welcome, Refugee Resource, and Sanctuary Hosting.

The Universities also support refugees through education, mentoring and skills support that has helped many go on to find employment.

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