LONDON (The Guardian) – Thousands of
Afghans remain stuck in the UK, after a minister admitted there was no mechanism to move some of them on without losing government support.
The Home Office recently revealed that keeping Afghans in hotels was costing the taxpayer £1.2mln a day. Hotel rooms are not suitable for long-term accommodation for traumatized people, and prove a particularly challenging environment for families with children.
On December 1, the Afghan Resettlement Minister, Victoria Atkins, told parliament that more than 4,000 Afghans had either been resettled or been matched with accommodation. More than two months later, that figure remains around the 4,000 mark.
Any of the 12,000 Afghans still languishing in hotels who find their own accommodation cannot automatically access the alleged government support.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, condemned the delays and lack of flexibility in the Afghan resettlement scheme.
“The government has clearly struggled to establish an effective partnership with local authorities to quickly move Afghans into long-term homes in the community.
“It’s imperative that all families are given the support they need to rebuild their lives and do not miss out on being well settled into local communities regardless of which route they choose to find a home,” Solomon said.
Sara Nathan, co-founder and trustee of the charity Refugees at Home, which recruits hosts with spare rooms to provide interim accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees, said her organization had not been able to help any resettled Afghans.
“When the Afghan evacuation happened, it really touched a sympathetic nerve and 1,600 people applied to host with Refugees at Home,” she said, adding, “It’s incredibly frustrating that, months later, we haven’t been able to place any Afghans because of the risk they will lose Home Office support and local authority sourced housing longer term.”
“So people are stuck for months in unsuitable, expensive bridging hotels when they could be hosted, cooking for themselves, integrating and becoming used to their new lives,” she added.