Social housing and Syrian Refugees

[Plentymoresharks]

Controversial one. A memo has gone out from the local council to local residents, asking whether anyone has a property they can offer for Syrian refugees, housing benefit will be paid as well as a premium and money to hold the property until it is occupied, money for decorating and repairing the property etc.

Aibu to find it ridiculous that basically the council will be housing refugees who have been flown around the world ahead of people already on the waiting list for social housing? Also, there are homeless people who I see every day, living in the park and under a car park bridge but they aren't getting this same help (the memo mentions the social and medical help the refugees will also be given).

It is indeed crappymummy.

Oh, yes, and it was the charming Churchill who, when asked what we should do with the Italian and German refugees fleeing WW2, said something along the lines of "string em all up".

These are desperate human beings, people. Men come first and then send for their families if they can. Of course they need a phone, how else can they stay in contact or communicate with friends or relatives for help?

Seriously, people are fleeing a war zone and people here begrudge them a phone??

The north east is the most socially deprived bit of the country- great idea to put them here. We get nothing in comparison to the south-east in terms of investment and growth. Unemployment is the highest in the country. Less decent housing being built. Property prices barely holding their value. The resentment would be huge if they started filling it up with Syrian refugees.

There is a real feeling up here that the government does not give a shit about us or our communities to start with. Our local councils have had some of the highest cuts nationally to deal with. In ours two out of the 4 council nursery provisions are closing, local libraries and the swimming pool are closing, the two children's centres are closing, the last council day centre for old people is closing, the respite centre for very ill children and young people is closing, they are halfing the staff in the housing department, council house re- furbishment has been cancelled, bins to be emptied fortnightly etc. Another £20million of cuts over the next two years has to be planned for.

For the people affected by those things- generally those in the poorest/most vulnerable circumstances, families of Syrians being put into their communities and given financial support won't be overly welcome.

It won't be us, it wouldn't be our area- too expensive- but where it would be would not be a warm welcome for the Syrians. And I understand why. Not condoning it, just saying.

Every local authority has agreed to take a number if these families. I know where they are going in our area- into housing in the most remote and socially disadvantaged bits of the borough. The housing director told me where at a meeting.

the bit that really sickened me was when i saw one get off a boat take out his phone a take a selfie .sorry but we have a big push in my area of scotland for the food banks kids toys at christmas .so our own are struggling .the middle eastern countries dont seem to be bending over backwards to help

Can't you see how vital a mobile phone is when it's the only contact you have with family you've left behind? Maybe he wanted them to see he was safe.

He wasn't stepping off a luxury cruise ship, was he? - more likely a dodgy-looking boat after a journey he was lucky to survive.

I'm in Scotland too. Yes, we have food banks, and that's a bloody disgrace - I assume you're doing your bit to help, as we all are (and that includes using our votes wisely). But are you saying that we can't help refugees fleeing war because we have people struggling in this country? Why can't we do both?

We can always find the money for war and nuclear weapons. I think we can shelter a few refugees.

Agreed crappymummy

The cuts to provision for my DD are shocking.

Doesn't turn me into some kind of NIMBY and racist.

Why scary, Popcorn?
I've lived in several of the British army camps in Germany. They were well-construced and set up to meet the needs of a large number of people independednt of the infrastructure of the country. We had sanitation, power and water, accommodations, mess halls, medical facilities, entertainment venues and it was a safe place to live.
I'd be much happier there than as part of a diaspora over a strange city

Reminds me of this

1. homeless people are often not homeless simply because there aren't enough houses. There are a thousand reasons why someone might be homeless, and simply not having a physical building to live in is just one of them.
2. why would Syrians want to integrate (which basically means 'do it our way' anyway)? These people have been forced to free for their lives. They want to go home, if you were desperately holding out hope of returning home, why would you give up all of your own culture? You wouldn't.
3. The number of refugees we are taking in is tiny. It's an embarrassment. We're not opening up camps for hundreds of thousands of people in the home counties for God's sake.
4. In London (or generally big cities) there are more services for the refugees; more chance of people speaking their language, more specialised care for health and emotional issues, better public transport. The fact that these places are already highly populated and expensive is by-the-bye. Yes, we could put them up north (and yeah, fuck off with your 'grim' comments) in small towns (cause cities - they exist outside of London, who knew?! And have the same issues around cost and space) and villages. Where they can't travel to access services, where there isn't the range of support needed. Let's see how well they goes.
5. You know the Christmas story, middle eastern couple travel a long way for safety? For the safety of their child? And we stuck them in a shed?

And lastly: if you think your opinion is 'contraversial' and you don't want it to sound racist or bigoted but then that's probably because it's racist and bigoted.

Merry fucking Christmas.

Why do they need to house them in London? Surely there are cheaper places to house them and there are already loads of homeless people in London who need housing, sleeping on the street etc and loads of homeless families who have been stuck in B&Bs for months. This sounds more like political posturing than anything else.

fanjo god you could,nt be more wrong if you tried .i am just saying people who live here get fed up with folk coming in and getting better treatment .this just breeds resentment.take for example refugees in the isle of arran just came last week .the council announced they will get accomadation .house fully furnished they will pay no bills and get money to tide them over until they get ni number then they can start claiming benefits.now local folk dont get offered this. does it sound fair to you

OP - please do take this personally. Fuck off back to reading the daily mail.

How does that extrapolate to making comments about the men letting their families drown? Disgusting comment.

And yes giving refugees accommodation does sound fair to me.

HtH.

No I just don't waste my energy talking to ignorant racist bigots.

This with Christmas bells on. The level of ignorance expressed by some on this thread would be embarrassing, if they had the wit to realise it.

Local people are not fleeing from war. Their house hasn't been bombed into rumbles. Their families haven't been blown up or murdered.

So no, I don't have a problem with refugees being given houses.

Merry fucking Christmas indeed

Aprilanne, local people don't get to claim benefits?
No one on Arran is in receipt of any benefits?
Why?

I'm on the fence, I understand these people need help but there must be a better way about it. Scotland is taking however many of them and then sending some to places like Dumfries and Galloway which is another place that,unless placed in bigger towns, will be very cut off as its a lot of little villages and back end of beyonds out there with hardly any bus services or jobs, any jobs you do get you need to be able to drive to actually get there. I can see them going to London or Aberdeen at the first opportunity just to be with other people.

Also the money coming from the government to help will only cover the first year then the costs will need to be covered from elsewhere, I can see why people do get annoyed especially when funding to the councils has just been cut again and schools are having to save 3million over the next 3 years.

Young Syrian men are often the first to leave not just because they are young and fit and single but because if they don't they'll be forced to fight - either by Assad or ISIS. Or imprisoned/executed as a possible enemy combatant. If you are male and of fighting age you don't get to stay and be neutral.

Sorry I'm sure I read somewhere from the council websites that the money would only cover the first year not 100% on that

Of course it's fair April. Those with nothing have to be given priority!

yes baby boomer .i always give to food bank and took jigsaws and selection boxes to our local pick up point and you are right it is a bloody disgrace that we are back to the church feeding you .god its like the days of the parish for some folk

Are you talking about the Isle of Bute, aprilanne? That's where Syrian refugees arrived last week.

Isobel Strong, a local councillor in Argyll and Bute, said: "People want to help and feel a lot of sympathy for what the refugees have been through. Local people have said 'yes, this is something Bute can do'. We are hoping that people might stay here and add to the community. We know we have capacity – the housing associations here have family homes lying empty because our population is declining, and the schools have room too."
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/14/scotland-rothesay-bute-refugees-syria-welcome

And yes, Barbarian is right. During the war in Bosnia, men were given priority for visas to countries offering them, because they were most in danger of torture or being forced to fight. It makes perfect sense if you bother to inform yourself.