Regarding the letter on how the government’s housing plan will put refugees’ lives at risk (24 May), I am the chair of trustees of the charity Refugees Welcome, Cheshire East. Earlier this month, I visited the Tserovani refugee settlement in Georgia. The settlement of about 2,000 homes was built in 2008 to house refugees from South Ossetia made homeless by the conflict between the Russian Federation and Georgia. It took around three months to build the small but sound houses for the victims.
People have extended the homes and created gardens around them. Transport infrastructure is part of the plan so that people can go to work in nearby towns. What’s important is that they feel safe.
Jobs have been created in the settlement, such as a social enterprise jewellery workshop, which we were fortunate enough to attend. Desperate people have dignity and are able to contribute to the economy of their new area.
What a shame it is that our government is unable to understand and embrace the needs of refugees who come to the UK. How wonderful it would be if suitable homes for refugees and other displaced people could be built, rather than endless estates of four-bedroom houses.
Nicky Campbell
Macclesfield, Cheshire
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