Salvation Army welcomes global resettlement scheme announced today

Today, the government announced a new global resettlement scheme that will see thousands more of the most vulnerable refugees supported in the UK.

Major Nick Coke, The Salvation Army’s Refugee Coordinator and church leader in South West London, was invited to parliament to hear Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, give details of the scheme. Nick commented:

“This is welcome news from the government. The Salvation Army has worked with local authorities across the UK, engaging with refugee resettlement since 2016. We were also one of the very first organisations to embrace the community sponsorship scheme, so we know first-hand the life-saving impact this support is having on people who have fled conflict and persecution.

“Globally, there are more displaced people than ever before; The Salvation Army is proud to play its part in supporting the most vulnerable people here in the UK and have been privileged to work closely with the Home Office to shape what refugee welcome looks like in communities under a number of schemes.

“Our church members, our staff and our volunteers – alongside people from a host of other organisations – have put their hearts into supporting people forced to leave their homes and have enabled resettlement schemes to continue to thrive.”

The Salvation Army works with a number of local authorities in the UK to support the resettlement of vulnerable refugees, including in London, Weston-super-Mare and Guildford as well as the North-West and Wales. It was one of the first organisations to welcome a family under the Community Sponsorship scheme two years ago, and has since supported another two families, with a fourth to arrive in a few weeks’ time. Nick Coke was appointed as Refugee Coordinator for The Salvation Army, demonstrating a clear commitment from the church and charity to support vulnerable refugees.