Decision details

To seek approval for the Council to accept adjusted Refugee Integration Service (RIS) grant funding through Migration Yorkshire, and the contractual requirements and grant conditions that come with the acceptance of this grant.

That the Director of housing and Neighbourhoods:

(1)  Accept the Refugee Integration Service (RIS) funding on a reduced 12-month basis; and

(2)  steps be taken to amend the RIS Partnership Agreement accordingly.

The Council has been awarded the grant and it is appropriate that we use it to support vulnerable new refugees in the city. Housing Solutions service is well placed to deliver this service by integrating it into existing partnership working with the SPRING project and believes this can enhance the overall service to refugees. An improved service will help to enhance the lives of newly arrived refugees who make our city their home.

• Sheffield is a City of Sanctuary, and it would be beneficial for the Council to embrace the new funding opportunity to bring benefits to newly arriving refugees to the city.
• As the funding has already been agreed to decide not to accept it at this stage would damage the reputation of the Council.
• The proposal supports the Council’s one year plan in several areas (detailed in document form 2a).
• The Housing Solutions service is well placed to deliver a service using the RIS funding by integrating it into existing partnership working with the SPRING project and believes this can enhance the overall service to refugees.

The alternative would be to not accept the funding. As the funding has already been agreed to not accept it would damage the reputation of Sheffield City Council as detailed above in paragraph 4.4.1 of the report.

There are no other possible options, due to the tight timescale a decision is needed to either proceed on a reduced timescale to deliver the grant services or to ask for the funding to be redistributed amongst all other partners in the Migration Yorkshire remit.