The approach to finding accommodation for Afghan families has been ‘unacceptable’ and represents a failure to ‘live up to Britain's values’, according to a think tank.
Published today on the two-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, the More In Common report found that about 9,000 of the 25,000 Afghans who have moved to the UK were still in hotels or serviced accommodation by the end of March.
The report described the pace of successfully transferring Afghans from hotels into homes as ‘painstakingly slow’. Between August 2022 and May 2023, an average of 87 people per week were being resettled.
In recent months, the pace of resettlement to permanent accommodation has increased, partly in response to the Government setting a deadline of the end of August for moving all Afghan families out of hotels.
Local authorities have warned that this deadline is leading to families presenting as homeless.
More In Common’s report, which is based on a survey of 132 Afghans in the UK as well as conversations with policy experts and support workers, also found there was too much variability in the extent to which councils have played their role in helping Afghan families.
It found that while the best local authorities have led the way in resettlement others have even been ‘ineffective or shirked their responsibility.’
