Councils have been urged to ‘apply maximum flexibility’ when UK nationals returning from Sudan present as homeless.
The first evacuees of British nationals from Sudan arrived in the UK last week, with some with no accommodation arrangements in place presenting as homeless.
West Sussex CC received 180 evacuees just hours before the weekend, when flights initially heading to Stanstead Airport were directed to Gatwick and Birmingham.
Council staff worked across the bank holiday to manage emergency accommodation – including using temporary hotels ministers have discouraged.
Whitehall wrote to all council chief executives this week, outlining Whitehall’s plan to manage the latest wave of evacuees, including by ensuring UK nationals returning from Sudan can access benefits, social housing and homelessness assistance ‘even if they are not habitually resident in the UK’.
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