In July 2022, we welcomed the Husainy family to Croydon. They fled from Afghanistan in late 2021. The family, which consists of a mum, dad and five children aged between three and 15, were housed in two hotel rooms in the Midlands for nine months, before moving here.
Many members of our parish and the wider community helped prepare a house for them to live in by cleaning, gardening and carrying out DIY, as well as donating furniture, household items, food, clothes, books and toys. The response and kindness shown to date have been incredible.Since arriving, the family has been working hard to improve their English language skills. The parents attend classes and also practice conversational English every week. Mr Husainy is actively looking for work. The children have been in schools and nursery since September. They are all acclimatising well, enjoying studying and making friends.Settling into their new life has not been easy. Everything is new, unfamiliar, confusing and difficult.As part of the Community Resettlement programme, through which we’ve welcomed this family, our group is committed to providing financial and social support for up to two years. We help them with day-to-day things, such as registering with GPs and dentists. In addition, we accompany the parents to appointments at the job centre, and provide friendship. We also help cover their living expenses.The Husainy family had to leave behind everyone they knew and everything they owned, including their savings, when they were forced to flee Afghanistan. The experience of leaving their home has been traumatising and has impacted upon each member of the family enormously.They have gone from having a relatively comfortable life, to living off Universal Credit, using food banks and relying on donations. They are safe here in the UK, but now find themselves in very insecure financial circumstances.At the moment, the family’s monthly income is around £1,900. After paying rent, they are left with just over £100 for all of the other expenses of a family of seven: council tax, gas, electricity, water, food, clothes, travel – everything. So, for now, our group is bridging the gap.
Each month, we need to find around £1,700 to meet this commitment. Our aim is that by July 2024, the Husainy family will be completely financially independent and stable.Before the family arrived, we had raised an amount of money which we thought was enough to last a year. However, because of the size of the family, caps on the benefits they can receive and the soaring costs of living, our finances have dwindled.We need your help. Your support is crucial to our efforts to support the family.If you’re able to, please consider making a financial donation to help us achieve our mission. We would prefer a regular standing order, if possible, so that we can be assured of a more regular income. But one-off donations are very welcome too!We appreciate that we are asking for money at a time when so many people have financial worries. If you can spare anything to help, we would be incredibly grateful. Should you wish to make a donation, you can download a standing order form and Gift Aid declaration below.Every penny that you donate will go towards changing the lives of the Husainy family.If you’d like more information, please contact addiscombe.welcomes.refugees@gmail.com.
If you would like to complete a standing order mandate and/or Gift Aid declaration, please download the forms below and return them to the Parish office, marked ‘Resettlement Fundraising Appeal’.