Where will the refugees coming to the UK live?

[Meeklynamechanged]

In no way a goady thread, I fully support helping the people fleeing such horrid circumstances, but genuine question.. where will they live? Where do we put people?

Where I live we have people waiting 10 years for a council property. Most areas around the UK have a huge deficit in available housing that doesn't meet demand.

With so many families stuck in overcrowded hostels and B&B's, families of 5 in 1 bed flats, I can't see where all of the required the housing will come from?

I’m interested in how they tell if someone is under 18 or not?
Usually can tell by their teeth. How developed their wisdom teeth are...a dental exam can determine that pretty easily.

This country and its benefit system is already unable to support people living here who need help. People who are ill/disabled/older/already homeless need better care.

This country is more than able to support people living here, this country choses to prioritise the interests of the very wealthy, to sink money into vanity projects, to award over priced contracts to organisations with no experience in the work, but a Tory supporter on the Board of Directors. There’s more than enough wealth in this country to support our vulnerable communities, there’s an absolute lack of will to do it. From Boris lining the pockets of his millionaire cronies, to the folk on this board that bleat about the unfairness of giving children a lunch allowance. There is little will to make provision for the vulnerable - people don’t want to pay for schools, hospitals and social work services, they don’t want to pay for social housing, mental health provision, care for older people, if paying for those things mean their personal wealth is affected. This holds true for multi-millionaire absent property owners in London, and the middle class keyboard warrior.

The money is there, we just don’t want to spend it on people we deem “undeserving”.

it is perfectly acceptable English to say illegal immigrant.
It’s morally repugnant in English to say it.

Back on topic: we shouldn’t be quantifying the benefits or the contribution refugees make to society. They’re people seeking refuge; they’re not more deserving of that refuge because they’re a doctor or fill a skills shortage we have here.

Spot on @Jellycatspyjamas.

There is no significant shortage of housing in the UK, it is just the cost that is the problem. The government could build as much housing as needed pretty cheaply but chooses to allow house price inflation to make their voters feel rich

If we can build the Nightingale Hospital in 9 days, why can't we build a purpose built community for these people? I'm sure they would rather be housed together with access to proper facilities, with helpers on site make transition as easy as possible.

I think it's admirable that some people are willing to offer up a spare room in their home, but think that the reality of this would be bizarre. Can you imagine, a displaced Afghan being placed with Sue and Dave in Milton Keynes?

Surely they need their own community, at least at first.

I’m interested in how they tell if someone is under 18 or not?

Actually this is quite hard.
When I worked in front line social services we were asked to do this quite a lot.

There are some physical signs, greying hair for example. But often the best we could do was sit with an interpreter and try and get a timeline for the person.

It used to be thought dental X-rays were reasonably accurate but actually in people older than 15 they aren't.

Other physical markers such as the clavicle have an variable range which means it wouldn't be possible to tell with enough accuracy to tell if someone was 15 or 17.
Particularly taking issues like malnutrition into account.

They aren’t illegal refugees but welcomed immigrants. They have worked with the British Army and other officials and will speak fluent English with skills which will enable many to get jobs.
They are entitled to proper housing and not a community centre. They have been invaluable to the British whilst in Afghanistan and are now entitled to be thanked and looked after.

"The latest Office for National Statistics figures suggest that a million people have left the country (at the end of 2020 Britain had almost a million fewer non-UK-born residents than a year earlier)."

Although they may come back when furlough/or Covid travel restrictions have ended - I don't think there's anything to prevent UK furlough payments going overseas. Hospitality and retail sectors have plenty of non-UK-born staff - who may have gone home to their parents (with furlough) and not yet returned to the UK. They may decide to stay in their home countries of course, but who knows.

First, a household that earns more than about 30k is a net contributor, once everything is costed in. So of course some immigrant families meet that, but many don't.

I think the Oxford study decided on £45,000 pa for a couple with two dependent children.

@Peanutsandchilli I know this is only one but the one bedroom flat below ours (social housing) and exactly the same layout as ours obvs has now been empty for two years and one month.

This country and its benefit system is already unable to support people living here who need help. People who are ill/disabled/older/already homeless need better care.

Yes

They have worked with the British Army and other officials and will speak fluent English with skills which will enable many to get jobs.

Sadly they won’t be able to work until their asylum claim is assessed, which is ridiculous given the skills and experience evident in our asylum seeking communities.

*This country and its benefit system is already unwilling to support people living here who need help. People who are ill/disabled/older/already homeless need better care.

Yes*

Fixed that for you.

The “appropriate channel” is to present yourself to border authorities stating you are seeking asylum

This is not what's happening in Calais then

God knows. But they're entitled to seek refuge here and as others have said if people have left UK due to Brexit etc then there's space.

However, I'm not sure I agree with refugees and asylum seekers jumping the queue e.g. for council houses etc when there are people living here who've been waiting for many years.

The stupidity of our past governments over Afghanistan though means this has been brought on ourselves, the UK.

No, what’s happening at Calais is hoards of people being kept in absolute squalor.

@mustlovegin

This country and its benefit system is already unable to support people living here who need help. People who are ill/disabled/older/already homeless need better care.

Yes

totally agreed.

the reality of this would be bizarre. Can you imagine, a displaced Afghan being placed with Sue and Dave in Milton Keynes?
Fucking hell, the othering going on here.

@Jellycatspyjamas

No, what’s happening at Calais is hoards of people being kept in absolute squalor.

I'm sure that's the case but also in places like Sangatte - these are no go areas for people who live in Calais - like the relatives of my friend from Calais (French) - she doesn't dare go there herself due to fears for her own safety.

20,000 is a good number for U.K. to accept in.

I don't disagree with that number, but they are unlikely to be relocated in my middle class bubble, so it's easy for me to say yes.

I'm sure that's the case but also in places like Sangatte - these are no go areas for people who live in Calais - like the relatives of my friend from Calais (French) - she doesn't dare go there herself due to fears for her own safety.

Which is absolutely awful, for all concerned. I wonder how it would be if both the French and U.K. government treated these people with a bit of dignity and ensured a safe, humane, compassionate asylum policy, instead of the “hostile environment” rhetoric currently enacted.

@Gonnagetgoing

God knows. But they're entitled to seek refuge here and as others have said if people have left UK due to Brexit etc then there's space.

However, I'm not sure I agree with refugees and asylum seekers jumping the queue e.g. for council houses etc when there are people living here who've been waiting for many years.

The stupidity of our past governments over Afghanistan though means this has been brought on ourselves, the UK.

They don't jump the queue. Asylum seekers are housed in emergency accommodation, which can include new stock bought by councils from a different fund from existing housing.

Refugees are treated on a par with everyone else.

@Jellycatspyjamas

This country and its benefit system is already unable to support people living here who need help. People who are ill/disabled/older/already homeless need better care.

This country is more than able to support people living here, this country choses to prioritise the interests of the very wealthy, to sink money into vanity projects, to award over priced contracts to organisations with no experience in the work, but a Tory supporter on the Board of Directors. There’s more than enough wealth in this country to support our vulnerable communities, there’s an absolute lack of will to do it. From Boris lining the pockets of his millionaire cronies, to the folk on this board that bleat about the unfairness of giving children a lunch allowance. There is little will to make provision for the vulnerable - people don’t want to pay for schools, hospitals and social work services, they don’t want to pay for social housing, mental health provision, care for older people, if paying for those things mean their personal wealth is affected. This holds true for multi-millionaire absent property owners in London, and the middle class keyboard warrior.

The money is there, we just don’t want to spend it on people we deem “undeserving”.

Sounds like the system in so many other countries - ie most African countries, India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan...etc.

I'm confused with the lack of concern on offering one's room to young men arriving from a country that has held the highest rating in the world for violence against women in the last 20 years. These are people brought up in a world where women are third class citizens and where a behavior that the west perceives as being violent - is simply a normal behavior.

Once arrived and settled these poor men will have no idea how to treat any women who are not part of their culture, yet we expect them to fit right in with no programs in place to avoid the cultural clash. Perhaps alongside our concern for their housing we should be thinking of offering some programs that can offer some help in that respect as well.

I’ve seen adverts from local councils on social media asking private landlords to come forward and offer their housing stock to be used for housing incoming Afghans.