Family Fund Business Services (FFBS) has just completed the fulfilment of furnished houses for North Yorkshire County Council, as part of the Government’s Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS).
The scheme, announced by the Prime Minister in September 2015, included the resettlement of 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps in countries neighbouring Syria. North Yorkshire’s county and district councils agreed that they would work together in partnership, to develop a joint response to the Government’s request.
Connect Assist, FFBS’s grant administration partner for North Yorkshire County Council, outsourced the fulfilment, delivery and installation of the furniture to FFBS. Under the scheme, over 50 properties across the county were furnished by FFBS during a two-year period. Each property was fitted out in a single delivery to include essential furniture and white goods items. This ensured that, in accordance with Home Office requirements, families arrived to an adequately equipped property, where they could begin to settle into a new life in the UK.
Many of the families who have two or more children had been living in refugee camps neighbouring Syria for up to five years before being resettled in the UK.
Jill Wheeler, Managing Director of Family Fund Business Services said:
“I am delighted that Family Fund Business Services has been able to contribute towards the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
“Our company ethos and mission is all about helping our customers help others, so to be involved in the resettlement of these families, many of whom have lived in refugee camps for years after being driven from their own homes, is very rewarding and we wish them well in their new homes here in Yorkshire.”
Jonathan Spencer, Project Manager for North Yorkshire Refugee Resettlement said:
“Family Fund Business Services and their furniture supplier, First Furnishings, have provided great peace of mind whilst managing the fit out of our properties in North Yorkshire. They ensured that all of our requirements were met in a timely manner and provided excellent customer service throughout. Their partnership with this scheme has been invaluable.”
Find out more about how Family Fund Business Services support Local Authorities
