LONDON – Thousands of Afghan asylum seekers in the UK would face a “crisis” of homelessness if the Home Office proceeds with plans to evict them from hotels.
The administration announced earlier this year that 8,000 Afghans would be forced to leave temporary housing around the nation by August.
However, the deadline for the elimination of government financial assistance, combined with a housing shortage, means that many of people may wind up on the streets, unable to support themselves.
According to the Local Government Association, the timescale for evicting Afghans from hotels is too short, and local councils are unable to locate housing for them.
Councils were told in May that they would get £35 million to prevent asylum-seekers leaving hotels from becoming homeless, and the government put aside £250 million for homes for Afghans leaving temporary accommodation.
According to a representative for the Home Office, hotels “were never designed to be suitable long-term accommodation” for “Afghans resettled in the UK.”
“Where available, the government will continue to make offers of suitable housing, which we strongly encourage Afghan families to accept,” the spokeswoman continued. Increased government support is available to help Afghans find their own houses and begin rebuilding their lives here if an offer cannot be made or is rejected.”
However, in May, a group of 250 Afghan families staying in hotels in West Sussex were served with a notice that stated, “If possession (of their accommodation) is not delivered up by the Notice Expiry Date, you will be a trespasser, and the Secretary of State for the Home Department shall be at liberty to evict you from the Property.”
“Councils have a proud history of stepping up and supporting asylum-seekers and refugees to settle in the UK and rebuild their lives,” LGA Chairman Shaun Davies will remark at the association’s annual conference on Tuesday. However, the combined pressures from government asylum and resettlement programmes are increasing on councils.
“We have reached a tipping point. We want to collaborate with the government to get this right, not just in a way that best welcomes newcomers to the UK, but also in a way that addresses the unsustainable constraints on our local services and communities.”
The LGA annual conference will also address support for Ukrainian refugees in the UK, as well as the implications of the government’s Illegal Migration Bill, which will give authorities the authority to expel anyone who enters the UK unlawfully, regardless of their circumstances.
The Court of Appeal concluded last week that a crucial provision of the proposed legislation, which would empower the government to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda to await the result of their cases, was unconstitutional.
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