More than £7 million in dedicated funding will be allocated to support refugees from Afghanistan in the county.

The Home Office will fully fund the resettlement support services.

Hampshire County Council (HCC) has approved (March 11) to spend £7,235,000 over the next five years to re-commission the support contract to resettle people in Hampshire who flee Afghanistan as a consequence of the war.

The ‘Hampshire Resettlement Support Service’ has worked in the county since 2021. The service ensures the council supports Afghan refugees from the time they arrive in areas like understanding benefits, finances, health, registering for GP, education, employment and training.

As part of the Home Office Funding Instructions, HCC must ensure that resettled individuals are supported during a specific period to aid their integration into the UK. For those arriving from Afghanistan, this support is offered for three years, starting from the moment they settle into their permanent accommodation in Hampshire.

A commissioned provider is in place to offer the Resettlement Support Service across all resettlement schemes, with the contract set to expire on November 30, 2025.

Resettled individuals receive support from the 11 district and borough councils in Hampshire, where they are housed in accommodations arranged by these councils, the Ministry of Defence, and private landlords.

The approval involves re-commissioning an external provider to offer integration support services to the current and future resettled individuals.

The county council ensures that individuals are paired with suitable properties, organised based on the individuals’ ages.

Upon arriving at their designated accommodation, the integration support service is available for all individuals resettled in Hampshire. It provides appropriate and relevant support to the needs and ages of the individuals.

Council officers indicated that around 10 individuals arrived monthly seeking help and accommodation.

Since the start of the service in 2021, the council has supported 431 Afghan individuals of all ages in settled accommodation. The ages currently range from 87 years old to a newborn baby.

Cllr Russell Oppenheimer welcomed the funding and said Hampshire had a “good track record” in welcoming refugees from war-zones places such as Ukraine or Afghanistan, “we can be proud of that”.