On the first anniversary of the fall of Kabul, the government is still providing hotel accommodation to 9,500 Afghans who sought refuge in the UK, with just 7,000 re-housed. While charities welcomed government moves to limit the use of hotels to house refugees, they raised concerns that many would be unable to find suitable accommodation in the private rented sector and were at risk of homelessness. Afghan families with children will find it difficult to find accommodation large enough to be able to afford using the housing allowance provided. Charities also raised the alarm that refugees may not have the language skills to negotiate their own rental agreements and may not have the necessary paperwork, such as passports and bank statements. Home Office sources say that as well as encouraging Afghan families living in hotels to find their own accommodation, they aim to offer each family two options to stay somewhere in the UK, although it is not known whether they will be given the choice of where . The Home Office said the accommodation offers would be “good, decent offers” but that if families turned down the offers they would be given an extra two months of hotel accommodation. It’s unclear what would happen if families were unable to secure housing after that. Home Office sources say they are trying to encourage Afghan families to move to other parts of the UK such as Wales, but this can be difficult for families based in big cities like London where their children go to school. Council housing waiting lists are long, especially for larger properties that some Afghan families require because they have three or more children. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Although Afghan families have the right to rent under immigration rules and landlords can check this using an online tool, some are reluctant to rent to people who do not have a British passport or proof of living in the UK, such as utility bills and liquidators. . A letter sent by the Home Office to Afghan refugees says not all councils will accept a request to put them on social housing waiting lists, so it is urging them to start looking to the private rented sector. “Not all councils will support you, so it’s important to check,” the letters state. They are urging refugees to look for multiple properties to increase their chances of finding somewhere, as the UK housing market is “very competitive”. Eva Tabbasam, director of Gender Action for Peace and Security, expressed concern about the plans. He said: “Afghan families could not imagine that a year after their arrival they would still be stored in inadequate accommodation, without space, privacy and stability. There is also a serious risk of homelessness for these families if suitable housing is not offered under existing Home Office plans. “The government had a year to sort things out – instead, it’s getting worse. If suitable accommodation was readily available for the 9,500 people still in hotels, families would have already moved into it. We don’t yet know what kind of relocation the families will be offered.” Cllr Claire Holland, London councils’ executive member for communities, said: “Boroughs are very concerned about the lack of alternative housing options for these families – a particular challenge in the capital city because of the chronic lack of affordable housing here.” A Home Office spokesman said: “Using hotels to house those resettling from Afghanistan is a temporary solution and we continue to work with more than 350 local authorities to move Afghan families from hotels to permanent accommodation as soon as possible. “To support the resettlement of Afghan families, local authorities receive £20,520 per person over a three-year period. They have the flexibility to use this funding to contribute to the rental of accommodation, including deposits, tenancy fees and furnishing.”
