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A week in the life of… a Syrian refugee resettlement programme co-ordinator
Running a refugee programme for Syrian refugees is no easier during a pandemic. Yasmin Kamal-Jones, who works in Isle of Anglesey County Council’s housing department, has been helping families negotiate with landlords, as well as mobilising to help the wider community during lockdown
Monday
My working day usually starts early in the morning, after my two little human alarm clocks have been fed and distracted by CBeebies.
Before COVID-19 my days would consist of back-to-back home visits with my resettled families, travelling around the island of Anglesey with my translator in tow, drinking countless cups of herb-infused tea, providing housing and holistic support, and everything else that comes as part of co-ordinating a refugee resettlement programme.
However, my Monday now starts with sending a WhatsApp message to all our families to ask how their weekend was and to update them with any new changes to government guidance.
Today I had two video calls with a refugee family and our translator. The families will send me any correspondence that they need help with and I will support them via video call to work through these.
Outside my usual role, I have also been collecting and collating data on the island’s referrals from volunteers. Referrals are received for support from the food bank and with things like shopping, dog walking, welfare calls and medication delivery. These referrals are copied to me and I collect the data and determine whether I feel that an individual or a family may require more support.
Tuesday
During another three-way video call with a family, I read through their new tenancy agreement with them, making sure the document was verbally translated into Arabic and they understood it fully before taking the decision to sign and continue their private tenancy.
I also liaised and haggled with a private landlord about a possible tenancy for another family who are looking to relocate closer to friends and their local mosque. I managed to get £100 off the rent per month and arranged a (socially distanced) viewing for the family.
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Wednesday
Today I attended our three-weekly ‘strategic food bank work stream’ meeting on Teams, in which the housing team and other agencies come together to discuss progress and ideas for ensuring there are enough food bank donations for those in need during the pandemic.
This afternoon I had another video call with a family. I supported them to contact their energy supplier, which was overcharging them, and helped them switch to a cheaper provider.
Thursday
I attended a bi-weekly video conference with my colleagues from the Welsh Local Government Association, the Wales Strategic Migration Partnership, the Home Office and all the other local authorities across Wales. During our meetings we discuss best practice and issues faced during the pandemic.
Friday
Today I attended a virtual training session with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to learn about how resettlement works on a larger scale and the journey of a refugee from start to end.
Although my working week is very different at the moment and I miss seeing the families face to face, I’m enjoying working from home and spending more time with my children.
Do you know an outstanding professional who deserves to be featured? Email jess.mccabe@insidehousing.co.uk with your suggestions
A week in the life series
Our ‘A week in the life’ series features housing professionals talking through what they do in their job on a day-to-day basis.
Find out about the different challenges housing workers in a variety of roles face in a given week.
We aim to feature staff from housing associations, ALMOs, local authorities and more.
Click here to nominate yourself or a colleague for inclusion
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