Afghan refugees moved out of hotels now homeless
The UK government has asked Afghan families, who sought refuge in the country after the Taliban takeover in 2021, to leave the hotels they were staying in. These families, many of whom had worked for the British government, are now at risk of becoming homeless. Thousands of them are living in temporary government-funded hotel accommodations, and they are starting to be relocated elsewhere.
If these families can’t find permanent homes, they will be classified as homeless, and the local councils will be responsible for helping them. Already, some families have presented themselves as homeless this week, and the Local Government Association (LGA) estimates that one in five Afghans leaving hotels are doing the same.
One local authority in Essex reported that nine families are currently facing homelessness, and they fear that more families will follow, which will put added pressure on already strained local authorities, who have a legal duty to find accommodation for homeless people. These families were given three months’ notice in April to vacate the hotels they were staying in.