AS REFUGEE week comes to an end, Oxford City Council and its partner organisations Asylum Welcome, Connection Floating Support and Refugee Resource have announced 27 refugee families have been settled in Oxford to date under the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (SVPRS) and the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS).

Beginning with the first two families resettled in the city in December 2015, the council has resettled an average of 10 families a year over three phases, bringing the current total to 27 families, including 62 children.

Three more families are expected to be resettled in Oxford by the end of October 2018 as part of the third phase of the resettlement scheme.

The SVPRS and VCRS are entirely funded by the Government and families are housed in private sector accommodation in Oxford, rented mostly at market rates.

The schemes aim to help vulnerable refugees who have been displaced by conflict in the Middle East and North Africa resettle in the UK.

The vast majority of families are from Syria as a result of the civil war, with a few of them also coming from Sudan and Iraq.

Among those who have come to Oxford as part of the scheme is theAlmaree family.

Reema and Maree, with three of their children Abdullah, Heba and Huda, were among the first Syrian refugees to be rehoused in the city after their home in Aleppo was destroyed in the civil war.

Councillor Marie Tidball, Board Member for Supporting Local Communities, said: “Oxford is a welcoming and safe city for refugees and as we mark Refugee Week, I am delighted that we have successfully resettled 27 families and helped 124 people rebuild their lives here.

"Together with our partners Asylum Welcome, Connection Floating Support and Refugee Resource, our work with refugees ensures that they are supported to maintain tenancies in the private sector, learn English, move into employment, and access the health and other services that they need.

“We have 62 children on the programme with all those of school age quickly settling into Oxford schools.

"These families have experienced loss of homes, family members and livelihoods due to the conflict in their countries of origin.  

"We welcome them to Oxford as a place they can rebuild their lives and are grateful to the contributions they make to the diversity and vibrancy of our communities and city.” 

A comprehensive support package for the families is commissioned by the city council and is provided by Connection Floating Support and Asylum Welcome.