Purpose

This report seeks approval to award grant funding to Highgate
New Town Community Partners (HNCP) for their place-based community
support offer for Afghan refugees in Camden.
 
HNCP is a lead VCS partner and manager of the local community
centre where the majority of the Afghan refugees living in Camden
under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) / Afghan
Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have been resettled in the
borough. HNCP has an important role in welcoming, supporting, and
facilitating integration into the local community for new arrivals,
including facilitating community cohesion.
 
The report asks the Executive Director of Corporate Services to
approve grant funding for HNCP to support Afghan refugees in
Camden, with funding of up to £150,000 for three years from
1st April 2024 through 31st March 2027. It is recommended that
funding be for £50,000 per year through 31st March 2025, with
the option for the Director of Equalities & Community Strength
to then modify the award amount after March 2025. This will enable
the project to adapt to changing patterns of demand, any funding
constraints and the growth of complementary VCS offers in the
neighbourhood.
 
 

Content

THAT the Executive Director of Corporate Services, in
consultation with the Leader of the Council in her role as the
Cabinet Member for Refugee communities:
 
1.       agrees grant
funding to Highgate Newtown Community Partners, as a VCS partner in
the Afghan refugee response, through 31st March 2027, up to a
maximum amount of £50,000/year for a maximum total of
£150,000 for the period 1st April 2024 through 31st March
2027 for the purposes set out in Sections 2 and 3 of this report,
and
 
2.       authorises
the Director of Equalities & Community Strength to take all
administrative actions required to implement recommendation 1
including reviewing and adjusting funding levels after March 2025
as described in Sections 2 and 3 of this report.