Afghan refugees have been stuck in London hotels for months causing mental health problems, a charity says.
Refugees who fled from the Taliban Months ago are experiencing “mental hardship” while waiting to get permanent homes, according to West London Welcome, a charity that supports refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
The charity says there is an urgent need for permanent homes for refugees to properly adjust to life in the UK.
A spokesman for the charity said, “We are seeing people staying in long-term hotels suffer unnecessary mental health problems as they are unable to cook and choose their own food at any time.
“Not knowing how long you are going to be in the area also means you cannot find meaningful work and your children who have just started school may have to start all over again.
Continue reading: “I faced death by the Taliban and had to flee my home when I was 14 – now I am an NHS doctor”
“People have come here for safety reasons and staying in a hotel for a long time certainly does not give them a chance to start their new life in the UK.
“Governments and councils must ask private landlords to come forward, as this is currently the only way out of hotels for Afghan evacuees.”
The government is providing councils with £ 20,520 per person over a period of three years to assist refugees with resettlement in the UK.
It also provides additional funding for children’s education, English language support, and health care.
However, local authorities say more help is needed to accommodate hundreds of refugees stuck in hotels since fleeing the Taliban in August and September.
A report from Westminster City council chair Rachael Robathan said the council had placed 675 Afghan refugees in local hotels.
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It adds: “The main risk for the council is that refugees will present themselves as homeless in bridging hotels in the city in order to secure another route to permanent housing.
“This would put the council’s housing system under considerable pressure and likely lead to a sub-optimal result for the people involved …
“The officials are working with the government and the local volunteer and charity sectors to help make this happen.
“We have also urged the government to carefully consider any options that could prevent more refugees from being accommodated in Westminster hotels in order to cope with the pressure on the city’s services.”
A Westminster City Council spokesman said: “Our hearts go out to those affected by the Afghanistan crisis.
“These families and individuals have been forced to flee their homeland under the most traumatic circumstances.
“Westminster City Council, together with national and local partners, is providing comprehensive support to Afghan families and individuals who have come to the district as a result of an urgent evacuation from their home country.
“The Council will continue to work closely with the Home Office on longer term support plans and in the meantime maintain the most urgently needed emergency ongoing assistance”.
A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea The council said long-term housing is badly needed as 700 Afghan refugees live in three local hotels.
They added: “Nobody should stay in a hotel permanently, and now that we have made good progress in meeting the immediate needs of the evacuees, our focus – and that of the government – must be on moving families to permanent accommodation , and working. ”Employment, as soon as possible.
“We are working with our local partners, other counties and the government to address these challenges together.”
Hammersmith and Fulham The council has given permanent homes to four families in the district and is putting dozens in temporary shelters.
Council Chairman Stephen Cowan said: “We are still committed to helping refugees.
“But we also need the government to pay its fair share for this important work.
“Countries that are compassionate to refugees have one thing in common – they are also generous to their own citizens and have built some of the most successful and admirable societies ever.”
A government spokesman said: “The government carried out the UK’s largest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history to bring over 15,000 people to safety.
Great efforts are now being made to get families into permanent homes so that they can settle down and rebuild their lives, and to ensure that those who are still temporarily staying in hotels have access to health care, education, everyone important things they need, such as job opportunities or universal credit.
“The continued role of local authorities is critical to this endeavor and we are grateful for their continued offer of support and housing, but the accommodation offered must meet the needs of the resettled.”
