We are committing to achieving reaccreditation as a City of Sanctuary by the end of next year.
Despite the rapidly changing environment, we are fully devoted to continuing the work we do to provide a safe welcome and support refugees and people seeking asylum in our city.
Recent years have shown us that we need to stay prepared for the possibility of unexpected and non-programmed arrivals of vulnerable people fleeing dangerous and traumatic situations.
The scale of the Homes for Ukraine programme has provided us with new insights and specialist knowledge, which we can now use to provide better support for all.
We will continue liaising with communities, reviewing our actions and working closely with our third sector organisations to form best practice in helping newcomers settle and thrive in our city.
To find out more about the work we’ve done in the past year to support newcomers from variety of countries and immigration routes, read the Update on Brighton & Hove support to refugees and asylum seekers report to Equality, Community safety & Human Rights committee on the 13 October 2023.
Welcoming and supporting a resilient Ukrainian community
We are very grateful to all our residents who opened their homes to people seeking safety from war under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
With their help, we’ve been able to support over 600 Ukrainians, with 300 of them, including 78 children, remaining residents of our city.
After the start of the war our Community Hub became a first point of contact for refugees, hosting regular advice drop-ins and working alongside our homeless prevention team and other council services.
To learn more about the experiences, needs and concerns of the community, we’ve conducted surveys between both Ukrainian guests and their hosts.
We’ve been working with community and voluntary sector partners and funding projects in ESOL provision, advice and guidance, employability, mental health, integration and capacity building to support our Ukrainian guests into independence.
Thanks to their invaluable input, we’ve witnessed a formation of a resilient community, which actively helps its new members and organises events to share their culture and raise funds for others affected by the war.
We are now embarking on an ambitious private rented sector support scheme to help Ukrainian refugees move on from sponsorships into their own accommodation.
Welcoming refugees from Afghanistan
In the months following the withdrawal of Western powers from Afghanistan in August 2021, the country faced an abrupt demise of human rights – especially those of women and girls.
To provide protection to people at risk of retribution by the Taliban, the government introduced two new refugee programs for Afghans.
So far Brighton & Hove has welcomed 22 households on these funded schemes.
Children have settled well in local schools and families are gradually putting their lives back together with the help of local charities, including Voices in Exile, who provide tailored support for each family.
Responding to humanitarian crisis in Sudan
The British government evacuated around 2200 British nationals and people with permission to live in the UK from Khartoum in response to the deteriorating security situation in Sudan in early May 2023.
Around 10 of these evacuated households made their way to join the longstanding Sudanese community in our city.
As they had been forced to leave Sudan with nothing, the council supported the new arrivals with emergency housing, vouchers and essential items.
Coming together to support people seeking asylum
The city is also a temporary home to people seeking asylum from some of the world’s most dangerous countries as they wait for the outcome of their applications for refugee protection in the UK.
Local support groups including our local City of Sanctuary group, local authority and NHS services, schools, faith groups and churches have come together to provide support and access to food, English language learning and conversation with local people in safe and welcoming spaces.
Enthusiastic about supporting newcomers
Councillor Leslie Pumm, chair of the Equalities, Community Safety & Human Rights Committee, said: “Brighton & Hove is a city that thrives on diversity, inclusivity and friendship, and welcoming people seeking safety is among our highest priorities.
“Everyone deserves to live without fear, danger and barriers keeping them from achieving their potential, just as much as they deserve dignified, compassionate treatment in moments of hardship.
“Being a City of Sanctuary showed us that there is a lot we can do to minimise the trauma newcomers face after their journeys, and make sure they know they will not be walking alone as they rebuild their lives in our city.
“I’m very grateful and proud of all our passionate officers, teachers, librarians, volunteers, residents and organisations, who dedicate their time and expertise to supporting refugees and people seeking asylum.”
Mike Collyer, Chair of the local City of Sanctuary group, Sanctuary on Sea, said: “The council’s enthusiastic backing for reaccreditation as a City of Sanctuary is excellent news.
“There is amazing support for sanctuary seekers across the voluntary and statutory sectors in the city.
“This process will help us ensure we can connect everything up and make sure we’ve minimised gaps in provision.”
Get involved
There are many great ways you can get involved in providing a warm welcome to newcomers in our city, whether it is volunteering your time, providing work opportunities or having a friendly chat with a neighbour.
We wish to thank all private landlords who have enabled us to offer a stable home to refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and now Ukraine.
We are always in need of self-contained, affordable properties for refugees from around the world.
We are also still seeking new hosts for Ukrainian guests that are coming to the end of their stays with their current hosts.
Every host receives a £750 thank you payment and support from our Ukrainian Response team.
If you have a spare room or property you’d like to offer to a Ukrainian guest or a family, please our appeal for hosts webpage.
If any landlords can offer us properties on a long-term basis, please email refugeehelp@brighton-hove.gov.uk.