Kingston Council commits to providing Afghan families with a new life in the borough

The borough has a long history of welcoming people from all over the world and supporting those most in need, and is very proud to be providing a safe haven for  some of the most vulnerable families fleeing the recent crisis in the country.

Each family will be integrated into Kingston and granted immediate indefinite leave to remain, under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy - ARAP.

The decision, made at the People’s Committee on Tuesday 21 September, also included a commitment to resettle Afghan refugees under the Afghan Citizens Relocation Scheme, which supports the most vulnerable in the country - such as women and girls.

The number of families the Council will support through this scheme will be set in the coming weeks.

All the families Kingston Council supports through these schemes will be housed in private properties, and therefore will not impact on the Council’s housing stock or the housing register in any way.

The Council is calling on any landlords who have a property to offer to support these schemes in the borough to come forward, by contacting refugee-migrantschemes@kingston.gov.uk. 

Councillor Caroline Kerr, Leader of the Council, said:

Kingston is proud of its history of welcoming those in need of sanctuary. We place great value on being an inclusive borough and I am sure that our community will come together to help us provide a safe haven to our newest residents. In particular, we are asking landlords who might be able to help us provide these families with a new home to contact us.

We will work closely with local organisations to ensure that families arriving here have access to the support they need to integrate into life in Kingston. I look forward to welcoming these families and I am sure that their presence will enrich our diverse borough.

You can find more information about both of these schemes on our FAQs page here.