Together with civil-society organizations, the Federal Government in Berlin today presented a new pilot programme for the resettlement of vulnerable refugees.

Stephan Mayer, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community, commented: "The programme presented to the public today is a true joint effort by government and civil society and an important addition to our humanitarian admission programme."

Annette Widmann-Mauz, Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration and Minister of State at the Federal Chancellery, added, "The NesT programme sends a strong signal of solidarity. Government and civil society are working hand in hand to help refugees who have been recognized as needing special protection get settled in Germany. Sponsors will help them with visits to government offices and with the search for housing, schools, training opportunities and jobs, in this way facilitating successful social integration. That helps both refugees and society as a whole."

Andrea Schumacher, Vice President of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), said, "BAMF is responsible for running the resettlement process and so also for NesT. In the NesT programme, BAMF will concentrate especially on matching refugees with sponsors."

The pilot programme Neustart im Team (new start in a team, or NesT for short) will take in up to 500 vulnerable refugees as part of Germany’s planned contingent of humanitarian admission for 2018/2019. What is new about this programme: government and civil society will work hand in hand from the very beginning. The NesT programme relies on sponsors: at least five people must commit to helping an individual or family get settled in Germany by providing practical and financial support.

Obligations for sponsors will be predictable and limited in time. They will look for suitable housing and will pay the rent (not including heating or hot water) for two years. Sponsors will also provide practical assistance for one year to help refugees on their way to participation in society. They will serve as contact persons and will help with official paperwork and visits to government offices, and with finding a school, training opportunities or jobs. And they will facilitate social interaction, such as in sport clubs, during leisure activities or at parties.

A new civil-society point of contact (ZKS) provides information on the project, offers training and advises interested persons. During the programme’s pilot phase, the ZKS consists of representatives of the German Caritas Welfare Association, the German Red Cross and the Evangelical Church of Westphalia. The ZKS is funded by the Bertelsmann foundation, the Mercator foundation and the Evangelical Church of Westphalia.

Responsibility for the NesT programme lies with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community; the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration; and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). The programme builds on experience gained in other countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom. NesT was developed with the help of civil-society organizations: the Catholic and Protestant churches with their social welfare organizations Caritas and Diakonie, as well as the Arbeiterwohlfahrt social welfare organization, the Bertelsmann foundation, the Paritätische social welfare organization, the German Red Cross, the Mercator foundation and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Refugee initiatives such as "save me", "start with a friend" and "Flüchtlingspaten Syrien" also contributed their experience.

The programme starts in spring 2019, and the first refugees in the programme will arrive in summer 2019. The BAMF research centre will monitor and evaluate the pilot project, as a basis for determining whether to continue the programme.