Can improving refugee prospects benefit the housing sector?

Regardless of education or skills, long-term unemployment is just one of the many problems refugees to the UK will have to face. HACT's Reach In project set out to tackle this issue by providing placements with housing providers. The scheme offers 80 refugee volunteers the opportunity to gain professional training and improve their employment prospects but the benefits aren't just one sided. As well as providing a valuable service to those in need, Reach In also gives housing providers the chance to improve their understanding of refugee communities and the particular difficulties they face. St Vincent's Housing Association in Manchester is one group that have hosted volunteers. Julia Glover, St Vincent's community projects manager, believes her staff have drawn experience from working alongside refugees , not least of which is a greater understanding of how the community experience their housing services. In this week's Q&A our panel look at how engaging refugee communities can help the housing industry and discuss whether projects like Reach In can be deployed across the sector. We'll be asking what other ways there are for housing providers to tackle the issue of refugee unemployment and what skills are required to help refugees settle in to the community? Our expert panel are here to address these issues and answer your questions from 12pm - 3pm, Tuesday 25 January. Our Panel : Dr Azim El Hassan is a refugee housing community development consultant. Azim came to the UK as a refugee and his career path in to housing and community expertise was achieved through volunteering. Jon Lord OBE is chief executive at Bolton at Home . John currently chairs the North West Consortium (NWC) and he has led the UK Border Agency's Gateway Protection Programme . The NWC in partnership with Refugee Action and Bolton at Home have housed half of the UK's Gateway refugees. John Perry is a policy advisor at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). John was formerly assistant director of housing in Leicester City Council and director of policy at CIH. He has a background in research, housing and refugee policy issues as well as refugee and housing statistics. Professor Roger Zetter is director of the Refugee Studies Centre at University of Oxford . Roger has an extensive academic research background on UK and International migration issues, urban planning and housing issues. John Giesen is chief executive of Broxbourne Housing Association , a host organisation for HACT refugee volunteers. Clare Winstanley is chief executive of Innisfree Housing Association , a charitable housing association providing housing and support for the Irish community in London. Clare has worked in the public housing sector in London since 1973 and is well networked with most black and ethnic minority housing providers in London. Philip Daily is senior operations manager at the Refugee Council . This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Become a housing network member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox