The Derwent Refugee Support project was developed in the context of the Government’s policy of dispersing asylum seeking and refugee families away from London and the South of England into other areas.

When a Housing Association in Derwent won a contract to provide family housing for asylum seeking families it became apparent that the new residents were struggling to access the support and services they needed and were often left isolated and vulnerable.

The project focuses on 30 families, but hopes to influence the community as a whole, increasing local people’s awareness of issues surrounding refugees and people seeking asylum.

The project is based in the Derwent ward of the city of Derby which also hosts a New Deal for Communities (NDC) partnership, being a priority area identified by government as suffering from multiple factors of social deprivation.

The 2001 national census revealed that the Derwent ward has a resident population of approximately 13,500 people of which 96% are of white ethnic origin. The area served by the project consists predominantly of social or private rented housing and mostly family accommodation. The aim is to support and intergrate relatively small group of refugee and asylum seeking families.

The project employs a Co-ordinator, Community Development Worker and local Community Link Worker and is managed by Refugee Action. The strength of links with the local community has been integral to the project’s success. Continuous evaluations have helped shape and modify the project.

A “drop in “centre based on the estate allows residents to access support and information. The Racial Harassment Steering Group has effectively co-ordinated the response of key agencies to racial harassment.

A buddying scheme will train volunteers to act as voluntary mentors. Awareness raising helps locally born residents recognise commonalities with refuges and people seeking asylum.

The project has provided much needed practical support to refugee and asylum seeking families and facilitated an effective cross agency response to incidences of racial harassment. Through effective community liaison and outreach work, it has modified the more extreme attitudes towards refugee families and helped to integrate them into the local community.

Learning points:

The community

Regeneration East Midlands (REM)
info@regenerationem.co.uk

//2001

case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Integration of social groups

Refugees, Ethnic minorities, Asylum seekers