Working in partnership to provide vital housing for refugees in Bristol

FORE Partnership, Amicala and Socius are the team behind the development of St Christopher’s Square in Bristol. Whilst the site awaits the outcome of its planning application, ACH has been working with the development team to transform an empty building on the site into apartments for people with refugee status in vital need of interim housing.

Mike Dodd, Project Director, Socius commented: “As a partnership with FORE and Amicala, we are deeply committed to making a positive impact in the communities we work in, both socially and environmentally.

“While we work our way through the development process, we saw an opportunity to utilise an otherwise vacant site as much needed temporary accommodation for refugees in need of accommodation.”

In the UK asylum system, when a person has their asylum claim accepted and their refugee status granted, they are given 28 days before they have to leave their government accommodation. Imagine trying to find a house, an income, a bank account, a GP in 28 days in an unfamiliar country.

At ACH, we aim to bridge this gap, helping newly arrived refugees build lives in the UK by providing safe and supported housing. This regenerated housing will provide essential interim accommodation for people seeking sanctuary whilst they rebuild lives in the UK.

“This partnership is most welcome and much needed. The refugee clients we support desperately need safe, comfortable, and affordable housing to begin the process of rebuilding their lives in this country. This project is an important contribution to this journey” – Fuad Mahamed, CEO at ACH

We will be offering one-bedroom properties which are fully-furnished and fitted with white goods, to make sure our tenants have a place to call home whilst they receive integration support and training from ACH. Tenants will be offered a minimum lease of 12 months, with at least 3 months’ notice of future development works.

We’re so pleased to be working with community-centred partners to address housing shortages for refugees in Bristol, working together to meet the needs of our communities.

Aurélien Collignon from developer FORE added:  “Creating lasting, positive social impact has been deeply imbedded into our vision as a firm since inception a decade ago.  We love partnering with local social enterprises to deliver on that vision, and we have been incredibly impressed with the work of ACH, to ensure those in need can access quality accommodation while they set up their lives here in the UK.”

For more information on St Christopher’s Square visit www.stchristophersbristol.com

For more information about ACH’s housing, visit: www.ach.org.uk/accommodation-services