Accommodation Guide

Your community sponsorship group will find suitable housing for the refugee family for the duration of the sponsorship period.  Finding suitable housing can take time, so it is recommended that your search starts as soon as possible once your initial Application Form has been approved.

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Strategies for Finding Housing

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• Share your search with your personal networks 
  Share your search for housing with your friends, neighbours, colleagues, community, and family.  Make sure they are aware of why you are looking for a property and how they can help.

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• Distribute leaflets in your area 
  Use Google Maps to divide your community into sections and ask members of your group to distribute leaflets in specific streets. Ask your library and local shops if these leaflets can be displayed.  As an example of raising community awareness about the need for housing, a sponsorship group in London distributed 7,000 leaflets and found three suitable properties. They rented one of the properties and informed other sponsorship groups of the remaining two.

 

• Use social media 

       If your group is using social media, ask local charities or local groups to share your posts about your housing search to         reach new audiences.

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• Contact property management companies and letting agencies
  Contact landlords with multiple properties. Sympathetic companies can help you determine availability across their properties and find one that is within budget. 

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• Make the most of local advertising 
  Some landlords do not like advertising their properties online and prefer to rent their houses to people from their local community. Check for signs in gardens, and advertisements in local newspapers, libraries, and community noticeboards.

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• Check websites with rental postings 
  Try searching on websites such as Daft.ie where you can connect with several property owners directly.

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• Reach out to faith groups or community organisations in your area 
  Ask your local places of worship, sports clubs, universities, and community centres to share your property hunt with their members.

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• Contact Residents’ or Housing Associations 
  Contact your local Residents’ or Housing Associations. They may be able to provide you with advice on how to find affordable housing in your area.

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