Everyone has experienced a warm Welsh welcome, that always feels a part of ‘Welshness’. That though has not always been the case for refugees in the country, housing justice Cymru and plenty of other organisations are doing what they can to help fix that.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Well today we've brought everyone together from the sector, volunteers, people that are
00:07 paid and people that use our services to talk about the incredible contribution that hosting
00:11 makes for people facing destitution. So people that are facing destitution, that can't access
00:17 funding, can't work, are really limited in their resources and their ability to find
00:22 anywhere to live. And so we've got amazing people across Wales who open up their homes
00:27 and offer a spare bedroom to people facing destitution while they challenge their immigration
00:31 status.
00:32 The Welsh Government's plans to become a nation of sanctuary have been well met with organisations
00:37 involved in helping refugees and asylum seekers. But they hope that there will be plenty more
00:42 investment and effort from politicians if they are to make the goal a reality.
00:46 We know that there are loads of people out there that have got a really warm heart and
00:50 recognise what more they can do to help us be a nation of sanctuary and to support people
00:56 looking to live in Wales. So we're hoping to share the importance of hosting and to
01:03 make more people aware of what it involves and hopefully to recruit some new hosts but
01:07 also to put some pressure on Welsh Government and other funders to continue supporting this
01:11 area because it's a really challenging time at the moment.
01:16 I can say well actually with the sixth wealthiest economy in the world we can afford to support
01:21 people seeking sanctuary, our own people who are in poverty, people who are facing destitution
01:27 of all kinds. It's not about either or, it's about creating a society where people have
01:34 shelter, where they're welcome, where they're warm, where they're safe and where they can
01:38 thrive. Not about dividing people into groups and saying well we'll help these and not these
01:42 people because that's not shared humanity.
01:45 The event here today was an opportunity not just to bring people in the field together
01:49 to discuss ideas and help grow connections but also to try and get more people to sign
01:54 up to be hosts for refugees. We saw a massive influx after the outbreak of the Russian war
01:58 in Ukraine but there are thousands of people seeking refuge from war and persecution all
02:03 across the world, not just Ukraine, and those people are seeking a home.
02:07 So we need to continue to increase the amount of hosts that we've got across Wales. We know
02:11 that more people are having their immigration status approved, recognising that they fled
02:17 to the UK from persecution or war, so we need to help them find accommodation and communities
02:22 to settle into. So we are today asking for more people, if they've got a spare room,
02:27 to consider working with us. We support people throughout the process and to help them become
02:33 hosts. We've heard this morning from hosts directly how incredibly rewarding it is being
02:37 a host and the benefit that the experience brings to individuals and their families.
02:42 So we're just hoping to shine a light on that, the amazing work that people have done, and
02:47 hope that we can continue to do more of this in the future.
02:50 People who came here today will hope that more people will sign up to become a host
02:55 and eventually, one house, one family, one step at a time, Wales will become a true nation
03:00 of sanctuary. J.P. Watkins, reporting from Cardiff Bay.
03:03 bank.
03:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]