- We stand by the people of Afghanistan. Through Op Pitting we undertook the largest and fastest emergency evacuation in recent history to help thousands of people to safety.
- The UK made an ambitious and generous commitment to help resettle those fleeing persecution and those who served the UK. Since June 2021, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety to the UK.
- The safe and legal routes we have provided for Afghans through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), offer a path to a new life here, with the right to work and access to health, education and employment support as soon as they arrive.
- While we undertook an unprecedented pace of resettlement, it was not right that thousands of Afghans were living in hotels, preventing them from putting down roots in communities, contributing to our economy and building self-sufficient lives here.
- Afghans who have come to the UK legally and safely deserve every opportunity to rebuild their lives here, and hotels did not provide suitable long-term accommodation.
- That is why, on 28 March 2023 the government announced its intention to issue Notices to Quit to all Afghans living in bridging accommodation and that all bridging accommodation would be closed by Autumn 2023. The government kept its promise to move resettled Afghans out of bridging hotels by the autumn.
- The use of bridging hotels for people evacuated from Afghanistan has been successfully ended, with the vast majority of families having moved into housing or been matched to a property enabling them to rebuild their lives here.
- All 55 hotels being used to house around 8,000 Afghans at the end of March were no longer being used as bridging accommodation by 31 August 2023. This followed a significant cross-government effort to help families find homes working closely with Local Authorities and third sector partners. These hotels are now being returned for use by their communities, acting as a boost for local economies.
- The government have used innovative and generous schemes which has resulted in many Afghans moving into the private rental sector and others moving into reappropriated Service Family Accommodation. As a result, the majority of Afghans issued with Notices to Quit from April have now moved into homes or been matched to a property.
- Over 85% of Afghan households who were still in bridging hotels at end of March 2023 are now either housed or matched to housing with the remainder being accommodated by Local Authorities or in interim accommodation due to medical reasons.
- Operational data on Afghan resettlement in the UK is published here: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Why did individuals need to leave hotels?
- Afghans who have come to the UK legally and safely deserve every opportunity to rebuild their lives here, and hotels did not provide suitable long-term accommodation.
- Bridging hotels were also costing UK taxpayers around £1 million per day and were putting pressure on public services.
- With many families living in hotels for around two years, some of whom struggled to put down roots as a result, Local Authorities and NGOs agreed that moving Afghans into housing was the right thing to do.
- That is why we have worked tirelessly across government and with Local Authorities across the UK to help families find permanent homes, helping people successfully put down roots and providing them with a package of wraparound support.
Details of the support Afghans receive:
The government support Afghans have received and will continue to benefit from in the UK:
- All eligible arrivals via the ARAP and ACRS schemes have had the right to work and receive benefits from the first day of their arrival, as well as access to public services such as healthcare and education and employment support.
- English language training
- Funding package for local authorities to help families integrate which includes:
- £20,520 per person [over three years] to cover resettlement and integration costs.
- Up to £4,500 per child in the first year to cover education.
- £850 for adults requiring additional English language support in the first year.
- £2,600 for health partners to cover healthcare in the first year.
Enhanced government support:
- The government provided intensive support every step of the way.
- We worked with Local Authorities and other partners to speed up the resettlement of Afghans into longer term housing, so they can successfully make Britain their home and benefit from the security and stability of long-term accommodation.
- We provided £35 million of new funding for Local Authorities to increase the support available to Afghans and help overcome the specific barriers they faced in accessing the housing system. This funding recognised the additional burdens being placed on councils to support Afghans into settled homes as quickly as possible and in a way that worked in the best interests of local communities.
- This included £2.4 million to fund Local Authority teams who were based regularly in hotels to ensure Afghans have support to discuss their options and opportunities. These teams worked closely with Home Office Liaison Officers, DWP work coaches and charities.
- And an additional £7,100 per Afghan for Local Authorities enabled them to support people moving out of hotels, including through deposits, furniture, rental top-ups and rent advances, among others.
- The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities also expanded the Local Authority Housing Fund by £250 million to address immediate pressures and increase the supply of permanent accommodation. This is on track to deliver over 1,200 homes for Afghan families across England this year , alongside homes for other cohorts – building a sustainable stock of affordable housing for the future.
How were Afghans supported to find homes?
- Dedicated staff, including Home Office Liaison Officers, DWP work coaches, council staff and charities were regularly based in hotels to provide advice to Afghans.
- Advice included providing information on how to rent in the private sector, helping people find jobs and signposting available English language training.
- The government issued guidance to individuals and families in bridging accommodation in April, detailing what will happen next and the extensive support available to them, this was alongside at least three-month Notices to Quit notifying them of when their hotel will be closing.
- We provided £35 million of new funding to enable Local Authorities to provide increased support for Afghan households to move from hotels into settled accommodation.
- A dedicated housing portal was established to allow private landlords to offer their properties to families and empower Afghans to search for their own housing.
- The Local Authority Housing Fund was expanded by £250 million to address immediate pressures and increase the supply of permanent accommodation. This has helped provide up to 500 homes for Afghan families across England this year.
- In addition, the government unlocked 500 properties by reappropriating unused Service Family Accommodation.
- All arrivals via the ARAP and ACRS schemes have had the right to work and receive benefits from the first day of their arrival, as well as access to public services such as healthcare and education and employment support.
What about people going through healthcare treatments?
- Considerable care was taken to ensure any health needs will be met.
- Interim accommodation is being provided for a small number of households where councils have provided appropriate evidence that a member of the family requires ongoing medical treatment which can only be undertaken within the area they currently reside.
How will Afghans pay for private rented accommodation?
- Afghans will be responsible for paying their rent through their earnings, or through Universal Credit; the latter subject to the benefit cap, will cover up to the value of the Local Authority Housing Allowance rate, which can be viewed at: https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Search.aspx
- Local Authorities have access to funding to help Afghans with upfront rent, furniture, deposits rent top ups and ongoing integration support for three years.
- We provided £35 million of new funding for these purposes.
What about those Afghans who did not find housing at the end of their Notices to Quit?
- The government will continue to provide interim accommodation to a minority of resettled Afghans up until the end of the year, where they are either waiting to move into a property which is not currently ready, or a family member requires medical treatment at a specific hospital.
- As of 31 August, over 80% of those staying in time-limited interim accommodation were already matched to a property that will be ready to move into before the end of December, with families moving out of interim accommodation each week.
- Despite the substantial support available, some Afghan families have been unable to make their own arrangements and have made homelessness applications to Local Authorities. Some councils have moved these families into their own temporary accommodation instead of utilising the government’s interim accommodation offer.
- As of 31 August, 188 Afghan households were living in homeless temporary accommodation in England. This represents less than 15% of households in bridging accommodation across the UK at the end of March 2023.
- Of those in homeless temporary accommodation, around a quarter have told us they have a property lined up to move into over the coming weeks.
What support is available to Afghans in temporary accommodation?
- For those who present as homeless, legislation under the Housing Act 1996 provides a safety net, placing a duty on Local Authorities to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads.
- Local Authorities are also able to claim £9,150 per household alongside wraparound funding for six months to support those in Local Authority temporary accommodation, to ensure that Afghan families continue to receive the support they need.
- This is in addition to the £2 billion available over 3 years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping more broadly.
- Of those who are not awaiting a property and where a Local Authority has accepted a homeless duty, approximately one-third of families have previously rejected an offer of accommodation either made by the Government or the Local Authority.
How many hotels have closed?
- We ended our bridging accommodation contracts with 55 hotels housing 8,000 Afghans by 31 August 2023.
- The Government has provided interim hotel accommodation for those matched to homes that will be ready to move into by the end of the year, and those with medical issues where moving from the area would be detrimental to their health. This provision is time-limited and will not be provided beyond December 2023.
How will this affect future arrivals under Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)?
- The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help resettle Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served the UK.
- However, it is vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they are in the UK.
- We will only facilitate ACRS and ARAP third country arrivals where suitable accommodation can be secured ahead of arrival, including where individuals can be supported to arrange accommodation themselves.
- The security of long-term housing will mean consistency of public services, schooling, and employment.