Churches commit to housing hundreds of extra refugees

REFUGEES HOUSING IN NEW ZEALAND – Canterbury parishes have joined churches across New Zealand offering support for hundreds of additional Syrian refugees.

Leaders of Anglican, Baptist and Catholic churches called on the Government to increase its quota and committed to helping provide housing, resettlement and language assistance for more than 1200 additional refugees.

The churches’ call comes as the crisis in Europe escalates and as Prime Minister John Key announced New Zealand would take an emergency intake of 600 Syrian refugees in the next two and a half years.

Another 150 will be resettled in New Zealand in the next year as part of an existing annual intake.

Cardinal John Dew, of the Catholic Church, and Archbishop Philip Richardson, of the Anglican Church, said between both churches 300 families of four – 1200 people – could be sheltered and would rely on extensive community and church resources, including school and employment networks. They were later joined by Baptist church leaders in Christchurch.

South West Baptist Church pastor Alan Jamieson said the churches would offer a “one parish, one family” scheme, with each church sponsoring either an individual or a family.

The churches could provide “wraparound social support, including with housing, helping kids into schools or preschools, helping with English language learning, with jobs and integration into the wider community”, he said.

Jamieson said there were around 240 churches in the Baptist Assembly and a dozen in Christchurch.

He hoped the offer of support would allow the Government to increase New Zealand’s quota for refugees further without putting undue pressure on social services.

John Key said this morning that the increase they’re making is pushing the envelope in terms of what services we’re able to provide. What the churches want to say is, ‘We’ll help provide that – we’ll help push that envelope and provide the resource to make it possible’.”

Dew said the sentiment was the same as that expressed by Pope Francis, who called on Europe’s Catholics to shelter refugees.

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“The escalating number of refugees globally constitutes a crisis which no nation committed to human rights can ignore. We urge the Government to think deeply about how New Zealand might provide a response which reflect the generosity of New Zealanders,” Dew said.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse said the Government was “very concerned at the humanitarian crisis now unfolding in Syria and Europe”.

The cost of the additional 600 places was around $48.8 million over two and a half years, on top of the $58 million the Government already spends each year.

“This commitment will be in addition to any decisions that may come out of the standard three year review of the refugee quota which will take place in 2016 as planned,” he said.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully also pledged an extra $4.5m in humanitarian aid to those affected by violence the Middle East – taking New Zealand’s contribution to $20m.

Jamieson said while he supported moves to take on more asylum seekers, there was still more to be done.

“Every family we take is good but we have to do more – we’re 90th on the per capita rating of countries taking people in and we are capable of doing better.”

Christchurch has received only 34 refugees since 2011, when the Government stopped resettling refugees here following the Canterbury earthquakes and subsequent housing pressures. Most refugees are resettled to Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Nelson.

A Red Cross spokeswoman said Christchurch did still have a number of refugees in need of assistance, especially with training or pathways into employment.