Dear residents,
As a Borough of Sanctuary, Lewisham is determined to provide a safe home for Afghan refugees fleeing conflict and persecution.
We have committed to initially resettling between five and ten families fleeing from Afghanistan under the Government’s Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP). This will take the number of families resettled in the borough to 45.
How you can help
Residents have been incredibly generous with their offers of help and their donations of clothes and toys to local charities.
We would now like residents to contact us if they are able to support us in three core areas:
Properties
We are in particular need of suitable properties to rehouse families.
We would welcome offers of many types of good quality property – houses, flats; large or small. However, properties must be located within the borough of Lewisham. In addition, we cannot accept shared accommodation or spare bedrooms in houses.
English as a Second Language (ESOL)
The Council will provide English classes for families resettled in the borough.
However, we are eager for qualified ESOL teachers to volunteer and provide additional tuition. We may be able to hold courses online or in person.
Translation and interpretation
To help families as they arrive in the borough we would greatly appreciate any qualified translators or interpreters to get in touch to provide translation from Pashto and Dari.
Get in touch
If you are able to help with the core areas outlined above, please email us at SVPR@lewisham.gov.uk.
In your email, please state the nature of the assistance that you can provide in the subject – e.g. If you are able to provide a property, name the subject of your email “Volunteering – Properties”.
Note that we will share your contact details with relevant organisations who are assisting us in providing support for these families.
Thank you for your help,
Kind regards,
Jack Skelly
Housing Projects and Strategy Development Manager