A CALL has gone out to landlords in the Forest to help Syrian families who have been made homeless by the civil war in their country.

Gloucestershire’s refugee agency is looking to private landlords who have a house standing empty to help eight families from Syria.

The call came from Ismail Ali, resettlement officer with GARAS, Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, at a meeting in Coleford organised by Forest of Dean Quakers to learn about the refugees.

The eight families have

been through horrendous experiences in the Syrian civil war; some of the men have been tortured, and all have been traumatised by the rain of bullets and bombs which have destroyed their home towns and killed friends and relatives.

Mr Ali said: “After living under canvas in hazardous refugee camps, when they arrive at their new homes in the Forest it will almost certainly be their first night of comfort and security since they fled with their children from the fighting.”

Among the Syrian refugees already in Gloucestershire

are builders, architects and engineers who want to be able to stand on their own two feet as soon as possible.

Landlords are being assured that not only will they have responsible tenants but, for the next two years, Mr Ali will be on hand to act as intermediary, sorting out any problems that might arise.

Between 50 and 100 Syrian refugee families are likely to come to Gloucestershire as part of the government’s Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.

The programme, initiated by then Prime Minister David Cameron, will take 20,000 refugees direct from refugee camps in the war-torn region.

The Forest of Dean council has pledged to take 10 families, with one family already here and a second arriving next month.

It was also pointed out that the Syrians would not be jumping the waiting list for social housing.

Mr Ali said: “It is our policy that no refugee should gain a home at the expense of someone local on the waiting list. That is why we are seeking private landlords.

“We are grateful to the Forest of Dean people who are helping us to meet the needs of refugees. In the case of the Syrians already here, the Forest Community Church has provided household items as well as recruiting two volunteers with experience of teaching English who are providing conversational coaching.”

If you have an empty property that could be made available in a reasonable timescale, contact Ismail Ali

at GARAS by e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 0756 580 8605.

The Quakers are holding a coffee morning at the Church on the Street in St John’s Street, Coleford tomorrow (Thursday) between 10am

and noon.