Press

Our new pledge calls on employers to better tailor their recruitment strategies to refugees and migrants, writes Julia Dixon-Barrow, entrepreneurship and employer engagement manager at social housing provider ACH

We must rebuild existing processes and attitudes towards refugees and aspire to end the cycle of poverty and homelessness, writes Fuad Mahamed, founder and chief executive of refugee and migrant housing provider ACH.

Looking out onto one of Birmingham's busiest roads is a place helping refugees build a future.

The building looks like any other terrace house in the city, but in its doors, 19 residents are given round the clock support to rebuild their lives after fleeing trouble in their home countries.

The city property is run by ACH, an organisation that empowers refugees and migrants in the UK to lead self-sufficient lives. BirminghamLive spent time with the group last week, where we met Ahmad, who moved in after becoming homeless.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Rushanara Ali MP, visited ACH, a pioneering social enterprise dedicated to providing supported housing and promoting the social and economic integration of refugees and migrants. The visit provided an opportunity to witness firsthand the impactful work being done to support and empower individuals rebuilding their lives in the UK.

A man who arrived in the West Midlands alone as a teenage refugee has spoken of how boxing and fitness helped him feel human again. Ali, 26, arrived in Wolverhampton in 2017 after fleeing Sudan and arriving in the UK alone, without loved ones.

He shared with BirminghamLive how a boxing gym in the Black Country sparked a love for fitness which has seen him take his first step to becoming a personal trainer and work towards a bright future.

Situated on one of Birmingham's busiest roads is a house giving city refugees a fresh start. The property, formed of two knocked-through terraced houses, faces out onto a bustling road in the city.

The 19-bedroom house is run by ACH, an organisation that empowers refugees and migrants in the UK to lead self-sufficient lives. The organisation invited BirminghamLive to one of its properties in Birmingham this week.

A social housing and training provider is calling on employers to help reinforce its commitment to providing refugees and migrants with the support they need to thrive and succeed.

Bristol-based ACH organisation is currently developing an employer pledge, which is aimed at encouraging companies to make sure their recruitment and selection processes are better geared towards selecting and retaining refugees and migrants.

Kateryna arrived in Birmingham in 2022 after her home town of Berdyansk was captured by Russian forces on the third day of the war. (...)

What would her advice be to newly-arrived refugees to the UK? "Do not be afraid. I know it can be difficult but don't be on your own - the UK has opportunities and support. Reach out to people, work with people," Kateryna replied.

The provision of temporary accommodation is nothing new. But with more and more people turning to local authorities for somewhere to live, what was once used as a stopgap solution is becoming increasingly longer-term, with widespread consequences.