https://arab.news/yv7wt
- Some families face fourth relocation since arriving in Britain in mid-2021
LONDON: Afghan refugee families in the UK have been handed eviction notices in the name of Home Secretary Suella Braverman, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.
Many of the families had earlier been moved from London to Yorkshire, and for some, the pending eviction will be the fourth time they have been relocated since arriving in Britain.
Braverman signed the letters, which said: “For the avoidance of doubt, if possession is not delivered upon by the notice date, you will be a trespasser and the secretary of state for the home department shall be at liberty to evict you from the property.”
The Afghan families were invited to the UK as part of Operation Pitting, Britain’s evacuation mission from Kabul in mid-2021.
In March, the UK government announced that it was ending its support of temporary hotels and accommodation for Afghan refugees, sending notice that families must accept the first offer of housing from the Home Office. About 24,500 people were affected by the move.
However, some families told The Guardian that slow bureaucracy had affected their ability to find their own housing.
Mohamed, one Afghan resident, said: “There has been problems for all of us — with either the guarantor, the deposit or the eligibility of the local authority, or not having a job.
“This has all been made worse because we have been moved from London to Yorkshire, leaving jobs and contacts behind.”
The families said the Home Office, in a letter sent last week, had pledged to find alternative housing for the Afghans.
The letter said: “When you receive a housing offer from us, it is strongly advised that you accept so that you can start your settled life in the UK.”
However, Home Office officials said the Afghans remaining in hotels may not be offered housing and might need to find their own alternatives.
A spokesperson said: “Hotels are not, and were never designed to be, suitable long-term accommodation for Afghans resettled in the UK.
“Where available, the government will continue to make offers of suitable housing, which we strongly encourage Afghan families to accept.
“Where an offer cannot be made or is rejected, increased government support is available to help Afghans find their own homes and begin rebuilding their lives here.”