The Future of ACH

Having celebrated a decade worth of memories and achievements at our 10 year event, the future of ACH looks bright. Our vision for all refugees coming to the UK to be successfully integrated into our society remains the same, and the last 10 years has seen us leave our mark on the refugee sector. We have always aimed to keep the underlying ethos of ACH the same, which is to help, support and transform the lives of all who step through our doors.

But it is crucial to note that the past 10 years, as explained by our CEO Fuad Mahamed, oversaw the largest displacement of people ever recorded. The total number of current refugees stands at a staggering 60 million, yet there remains a perpetuated fear that this is the number of refugees that are pounding at the borders of European nations.

Only 1 million refugees have made it safely to Europe, with many refugees remaining displaced in their own countries, and with many more seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. In England alone, only 15,000 people were given refugee status in 2017, as we are encouraged to empathise but abstain from helping. This is in part due to the fear and political scapegoating that has seen refugees labelled a burden and dangerous to our societies. The refugee crises, as we have come to know, is more a crisis of narrative as opposed to a crisis of numbers.  

There exists a misguided assumption that refugees are a burden to society instead of the assets they can be with just a bit of help. This is where ACH steps in, with our provision of accommodation, training and employability skills, we see the value in the people who come through our doors, and hope to change the prevailing ideology to one that sees refugees as humans first and never as a burden. We at ACH deal with the currency of hope. We offer long-term sustainable help, offering our services for as long as they are needed, to give those who come to us the best chance of life here in the UK.

It comes as no surprise that our 10 year event marked a significant moment for ACH. We revealed our new logo and website, unveiling our rebranding of Ashley Community Housing to ACH. But as well as this, we are now renovating and leasing more houses than ever, we have created a unique ethical investment model, have an annual turnover of £4,000,000 a year, have expanded and grown our team and are working on global projects. On top of all these achievements, we have won numerous awards and are leaving our mark on the refugee sector. When ACH was created by our CEO (Fuad Mahamed) as a small housing organisation, we never imagined the success we would go on to achieve. From running 3 regional offices, to all the accolades we have garnered so far, we at ACH are excited for what the future has in store.

We hope to achieve even more in the next decade, as we seek to expand our services and reach more people than ever. Our imagination is one of our biggest strengths, and we encourage creativity and thinking outside of the box. We hope to create and front more global projects, seeking to encourage more organisations to think long-term in their initiatives. We hope to make our accommodation more energy efficient as we aim to play a more integral part in maintaining the environment. We have aspirations to do more for the homeless community and raise awareness for mental health through our work.

We are already working with 2,500 people a year, but ultimately, intend to take ACH to even greater heights. As one of our attendants put it during our 10 year event, “ACH is a strong model of society. Housing is an entry point to everything you are doing, and I hope ACH doesn’t lose sight of that.” We make a promise to stay true to our vision, and thank you to everyone who have believed in our organisation and played a part in its success.