The scheme set up to help house Ukrainian refugees in the UK should be extended to help people who fled Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to a power, a group has said. The group, of think tanks and support groups, backed by politicians, have written a letter to Michael Gove.
The letter asks the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to help the thousands of Afghans who escaped Kabul and are still in hotel accommodation seven months later. They say it is likely the level of support in the UK will surpass the number of Ukrainians who can, or who want to seek refuge in the UK. Already well over 100,000 people have signed up for the scheme, including at least 10,000 in Wales. You can see that here.
The letter says faster progress is needed to resettle the Afghans who were evacuated last summer and that a second phase of the Homes for Ukraine scheme should allow businesses, civic and faith groups, military charities and others to support both Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.
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It says: " Different solutions will clearly be needed for Afghan families - for whom rooms in people’s homes will rarely be an appropriate solution. But many of those who signed up to help Ukrainians, especially if they don’t ultimately match with a family fleeing the invasion, will be keen to help in other ways to help refugees start a new life in Britain."
It has the backing of 50 MPs including Robert Buckland MP, Baroness Nicky Morgan, Damian Green MP, Jon Cruddas MP, Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts MP, as well as Gwen Hines, CEO of Save the Children, Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, Rafi Hottak, a former British Forces Interpreter and a number of organisations working to help Afghan refugees.
Luke Tryl, UK Director, More in Common said: "The fact that the people from every corner of our country have stepped forward to offer support to Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s invasion is a testament to the public’s deep commitment to supporting those who need our sanctuary. That’s why, alongside the immediate priority of matching Ukrainian to offers of housing, volunteers should also be given the opportunity to help support the Afghan families, who seven months after being forced to flee Kabul, are still stuck living in hotel rooms, at a cost to the taxpayer of £1.2 million a day."
Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future said: "The surge of public empathy for Ukraine is not limited to one group of refugees. We owe a debt of honour to the Afghans evacuated from Kabul last summer too. While there are some different challenges in finding homes for these two groups, we today set out practical plans for how Michael Gove and his department can link up these schemes to harness support from business, civic society and local government to speed up homes for Afghans too. That is how they can get on with rebuilding their lives by being welcomed into communities around the country".
Rafi Hottak is a former British Forces Interpreter. He said: "I fully support the proposed Homes for Afghans Plan. I have spoken to many Afghan refugees evacuated since Aug 2021 most of whom are still in the hotels in different cities of the UK. Afghan refugees are going through trauma and anxiety. There has been a big change in their lives, housing a larger group of Afghan refugees in close proximity to each other will help them to quickly adjust and integrate into the UK society, this will also help in reducing the anxieties they have and feel more protected. In the long run, it is very helpful for their mental health as Afghans are very good at keeping each other company and supporting each other when a member of the community needs help and support."
