KINGSTON has welcomed its first Afghan refugee family under the government's ARAP scheme, the Council has announced.

The family moved in to the area last month and is being supported by local charities.

They have been housed under the government's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme, which was set up in April last year to help Afghans employed by the British Government in the country escape amid the escalating conflict.

Though the scheme opened 11 months ago government processing of families who fled the conflict has been slow.

Kingston Council also announced last October that it had found 11 homes for refugee families - and a councillor in Richmond reported that homes found for those who had fled the conflict were being left empty due to the delays.

Kingston charities supporting the new arrivals include Save the World Club which will help the family set up their new home with up-cycled and donated furniture.

The Club, whose mission is "to promote environmental action and self-empowerment through humour, arts, education and entertainment," also helps recently re-housed people in the borough with finding furniture, working with groups such as Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness.

Learn English At Home (LEAH), a small charity working across Kingston, Richmond and Hounslow boroughs, will also be providing the family with targeted support for their language skills.

"We believe in an integrated society where language unlocks people's potential to participate fully in family and community life," the charity states.

Another Kingston charity, the Migrant Advocacy Service, will be providing holistic support to refugees as they build new lives in the borough.

Lubna Maktari, the service's Project Manager & Director, said: "We are delighted to be welcoming the first family to arrive in Kingston under the Home Office ARAP scheme.

"This family will be warmly welcomed into our borough and given all the help and support they need to feel at home following the tragic displacement of Afghan nationals from Afghanistan last summer."

Andreas Kirsch, the leader of Kingston Council, added: "Kingston has a long history of welcoming people from all over the world and supporting those most in need.

"We are very proud to be providing a safe haven for some of the most vulnerable families fleeing the recent crisis in Afghanistan."

Last year, the fifteenth Syrian refugee family moved to Kingston - five years after the UK committed to resettling 20,000 people displaced by the conflict in the country.

50 Syrian refugees have now built new lives in the borough, including local artist Abdulrahman Murabieh who held an exhibition of his work at Kingston Museum in 2020.

Local landlord Lubna Maktari was one of those who helped provide homes for refugees moving to Kingston.

She said: "As a long term resident and landlord in Kingston, I am delighted that we have had the opportunity to help a Syrian refugee family set up home among us. We welcome them and wish them every success for their future.

"We know they have been through very difficult circumstances before they have arrived at this point. For this reason, we are more than happy to support them and help them to settle into their new life in the UK."

Landlords in Kingston wanting to help people find housing - both refugees and people at risk of homelessness - can rent their property through the Council.

Find out how you can do this HERE

Kingston Council is also looking for people to respond to its draft strategy on homelessness.

You can take the survey at kingstonletstalk.co.uk/homelessness-strategy