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Migrant focus for BME housing association
A black and minority ethnic housing association hopes to become the leading provider of services to new migrants in London as it focuses on non-housing services.
Arhag Housing Association will retain its official identity as a housing association but plans to focus its business on non-housing services, such as employment support, to refugees and migrants across the capital.
The landlord plans to open two new hostels for homeless migrants as well as a drop-in advice centre. It also intends to offer its employment scheme to a much wider refugee and migrant audience in London.
The association also intends to do more campaigning, research and consultancy work.
Cedric Boston, chief executive of Arhag, said: “The reason for our existence is our social focus on migrants. We will still be a first-class landlord to our tenants and continue to increase our housing stock but we will become more of a diverse organisation. We hope that other BME housing groups adopt this initiative.”
Mr Boston said all staff will receive training to be accredited in giving immigration advice.
Arhag manages almost 1,000 properties across 14 London boroughs and was founded as a campaigning organisation for African migrants and refugees in 1979.
