Community Sponsorship Ireland (CSI) is an alternative resettlement stream to the traditional state-centred model of resettlement.
The CSI model which is being piloted seeks to enable a Community Sponsorship Group (CSG) to come together to support arriving refugees. The local group will provide supports around access to housing and to different state services. Refugees will arrive in Ireland following selection by UNHCR and a vetting process overseen by Irish Refugee Protection Programme.
Community Sponsorship (CS) was first piloted in December 2018 with the arrival of a Syrian family to Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath. It is expected that up to 50 refugees will arrive in Ireland during the pilot phase of Community Sponsorship which will last till October 2019.
Community Sponsorship Ireland draws from the Canadian model and has been developed in Ireland in cooperation with Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GSRI), the Irish Red Cross, NASC, Irish Refugee Council and the UNHCR.
Those interested in further information should contact:
Communitysponsorship@redcross.ie
Application form and accompanying documents can be downloaded here:
1. An Introduction to Community Sponsorship Ireland
2. Community Sponsorship Policy Framework
3. A Guide for Prospective Sponsorship
4. Community Sponsorship Application Form
5. Guidance for Sponsors' Settlement Planning
