Afghan Resources
Through our Welcome Network of churches, we are working to address the challenges for Afghans in finding accommodation in the community. We are also providing resources to churches so that they can be equipped to reach out and welcome Afghans resettling in their locality. And we have new Wellbeing Videos launching soon to share with Afghan friends.
Looking for resources to better support the Afghans in your community? Check out our new resources below!
Other free resources and training opportunities are also available in our Resource Hub. Login or join the Network to access them for free!
Welcome Course
Wellbeing: Looking After Myself
Welcome Homes
Welcome Course - now available in Dari, Pashto and Farsi
The Welcome Course, now in Dari, Pashto and Farsi, is available for churches to run in order to help welcome and get to know Afghan arrivals settling in their community.
The Welcome Course is a fantastic resource made up of six professional short videos covering topics of: Welcome to the UK, Understanding British Culture, Making Friends, Wellbeing, Problem Solving and Citizenship. It comes with Host resources and support from the Welcome Churches team for the church running the course.
Wellbeing: Looking After Myself - in Dari
Through stories and animation, the video series ‘Wellbeing: Looking After Myself’ provides learning on: wellbeing and mental health needs when arriving in the UK, how past experiences affect wellbeing, ways to improve mental health and signposting on to local support and organisations. This resource has been written to encourage open discussion about wellbeing and how to find help when it is needed. We are currently translating this resource into Dari.
Welcome Homes
As an organisation we are committed to finding housing solutions. We believe every refugee should have a place to call home. We launched Welcome Homes last year with a clear aim of connecting compassionate homeowners with refugees in need, starting with Afghans moving out of hotels or arriving in the community.
Housing - Our team wants to mobilise, resource and support landlords interested in renting property to refugee tenants. We can connect landlords with a refugee tenant and help you transform lives by offering long term housing options.
Hosting - We partner with The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM) to signpost to existing hosting organisations in any given area. Hosting can be a significant short-term solution that gives refugees in need a chance to stay somewhere safe as they search for longer term housing options.
Church Support and Training
Our Church Engagement Team regularly provide:
Hotel Support Training
Hotel Connect Meetings
Translation Support Training
To help mobilise and support churches that are engaging in work with local hotels. If you are located near a hotel still housing Afghans, or a hotel housing people in the asylum system (which may also include Afghans along with many other nationalities), and you’re interested in learning how your church can help please contact us, and find more details about our training events here
Please join us in praying for Afghan people
In August 2021 the Afghanistan government collapsed and the Taliban claimed Kabul. In response, people began fleeing from Afghanistan. In efforts to resettle those eligible, the UK government created new resettlement routes called the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP):
As of June 2023, a total of 24,600 individuals have arrived in the UK from Afghanistan, with 21,526 arriving under these resettlement routes.
6,575 Afghan refugees, around half of whom are children, were living in hotels or serviced accommodation at the end of June 2023, with the number of hotels in use reduced from 84 in October 2021 to 55 at the end of June 2023.
About half of those arriving in the UK have now moved into a home.
As of August 2023, most of these hotels are now being closed. About 20% of those evicted from hotels have presented as homeless to their local council.
We have a dedicated Church Engagement Team passionate about supporting you to welcome refugees in your area. Please get in touch if you want to partner with us to #ChangeTheStory2023 and welcome refugees in your local church.