Councils report rise in homeless figures for Afghans on resort transfer deadline day
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he proportion of Afghans presenting to councils as homeless has risen previously month, figures from councils have steered on the deadline day for folks to go away resort lodging.
More than a fifth (22%) of Afghans who had beforehand been in so-called bridging lodges in England and Wales since being resettled to the UK after the Taliban takeover in August 2021 had been on this state of affairs, the Local Government Association (LGA) stated.
The organisation, which represents councils, branded it “wrong” that some households had been having to go away lodges “only to then end up having to move into temporary accommodation”.
It is unsuitable that some households are having to go away Home Office-funded lodges solely to then find yourself having to maneuver into momentary lodging
The LGA surveyed councils with bridging lodges of their areas, and obtained responses from 22 out of the 45 by Thursday morning.
The Government gave a deadline of August 31 for all Afghan nationals to have moved out of lodges into extra settled lodging, however native authorities had warned that when eviction notices had been handed out months in the past some would find yourself going through homelessness.
The LGA stated its newest figures had been up 3% from 19% firstly of August, including that its survey would stay open for responses till the top of the day.
LGA chairman Shaun Davies described the “huge pressure” on councils who had been already coping with report numbers of households residing in momentary lodging and “an acute shortage of housing across the country”.
With report numbers of households already residing in momentary lodging and an acute scarcity of housing throughout the nation, that is including enormous strain onto councils on the bottom and disruption and misery for households
He stated: “Councils share the Government’s determination to get Afghan families out of hotels and into permanent homes. Hotels have closed to Afghan households across the country and – as we feared – councils are seeing families presenting to them as homeless as a result.
“It is wrong that some families are having to leave Home Office-funded hotels only to then end up having to move into temporary accommodation.
“With record numbers of households already living in temporary accommodation and an acute shortage of housing across the country, this is adding huge pressure onto councils on the ground and disruption and distress for families, some of whom are particularly vulnerable.”
He stated extra co-operative work was wanted with Government “to ensure a smooth transition for Afghan families that doesn’t simply pass costs and responsibility from Government to councils”.
Speaking on Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated “very good progress” had been made on the problem.
He refused to be drawn when requested whether or not the deadline could be met, and as a substitute emphasised prices of resort lodging for “illegal migrants”.
He informed GB News: “We’ve made very good progress on that and it speaks to a broader challenge we have that at the moment we’ve got the country spending millions of pounds a day to house illegal migrants in hotels … more broadly, this is not about tomorrow or the day after.
“We’ve got to end the situation where we spend millions of pounds a day housing illegal migrants in hotels.”
The UK promised a protected haven for hundreds of people that fled their residence nation because the Taliban swept again into energy two years in the past.
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which had been set as much as assist Afghans resettle within the UK throughout the takeover, had been each authorized routes created by the Home Office.