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?

@CayrolBaaaskin

I also used to work to work with refugees and as a Jew I have many family who were refugees or children of refugees.

But I’m sick of the sneering and mistruths and magical thinking. As a whole, refugees (but not immigrants in general who have been net contributiors as a whole) do need investment. And that comes from the treasury.

Yes exactly! Money is needed for things. People are donating money but it won’t be enough. And reliant on the goodwill of the public.

The people I feel the most sorry for are the young. Refugees aside Covid has put a huge burden and they’re the ones who will bear it over the next decade.

This poster explained that this is perfectly plausible - these migrants are mostly students paying higher fees or people admitted with proof of high assets / earning power

Students are allowed in on a student visa for the duration of their course. They are not (and not allowed in) as immigrants

@wednesdayweather

The current situation in Afghanistan is entirely of the U.K.’s and US’s making though

I love this as an example of how everything bad has been caused ENTIRELY by the West. Nothing to do with the Taliban then?

Biden's rapid withdrawal has allowed a problem that was already there to flood back in. But the thing is, the problem (the Taliban) actually was already there. And its the people who form the Taliban who have responsibility for the existence of the Taliban.

Isn't it just?

@mustlovegin

When they gain refugee status - years not months - they gain the same rights to work or claim benefits as anyone else. So they can join the queue, rent privately, claim housing benefit - they'll be subject to the same conditions around seeking work etc as everyone else. They aren't pushed ahead of anyone at that point

But they are placed ahead on arrival, and stay ahead for many years.

Also, as PP pointed out, what's the difference if it's LA budget, central budget, etc. All of this has to be paid by all of us (Council Tax, Income Tax, VAT, etc), It is apparent that many on this thread perhaps pay very little tax, hence don't care as it doesn't directly affect them

Yes, as asylum seekers they are allocated emergency housing which does not detract from funds available for council / social housing scheme. Since they aren't allowed to work or claim benefits, that can't be avoided.

I'm sure you could investigate attitudes to refugees amongst different constituencies. If you're suggesting that the poorest would be least bothered about sharing with refugees, that's a nice thought. I don't see any evidence on this thread that would support your hypothesis though - and I don't think posters standing up and stating their tax band would add much.

I expect that support and opposition cut across tax bands, and that factors like leftish politics, church and mosque membership, community activism, celtic nationalisms, international links - all of which likewise cut across class and income - would be better predictors.

@TractorAndHeadphones - I agree. We need more housing supply to help solve the housing crisis but increased demand will have a negative affect and let’s not pretend it won’t.

Also the “why don’t you try to be a human” to the pp who doesn’t want a random man to come and live in her house. Ffs - sanctimonious nonsense.

@the80sweregreat

Dazzle, well said. I know you'll be flamed. Let America take them in. Will they ?

Yes, huge amount of space there

@Fangdango why would funds available from central government for asylum seeker housing not detract from funds available from central government to local government for general housing? Is it magical money?

@mustlovegin

This poster explained that this is perfectly plausible - these migrants are mostly students paying higher fees or people admitted with proof of high assets / earning power

Students are allowed in on a student visa for the duration of their course. They are not (and not allowed in) as immigrants

The ONS disagrees. Second page www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/articles/longterminternationalmigration/internationalstudentmigrationwhatdothestatisticstellus/internationalstudentmigrationtcm77431150.pdf

But they are placed ahead on arrival, and stay ahead for many years.

Placed ahead where @mustlovegin ?Everything I’ve read online says those given refugee status join the back of the queue.

Is there a charity that helps you let out your spare room to homeless British people ?

Either way the number of people in ‘legal’ migration figures who are eligible to claim benefits is minuscule. If you search ‘entry routes to the U.K.’ and read all the requirements for the visas they are stringent with heavy financial proof required. I could probably dig out figures if needed.

Now whether illegal migrants overshadow this net contribution I don’t know - but the point is ‘immigrant’ isn’t a homogenous category. All the foreign doctors , nurses and healthcare professionals of the NHS spring to mind …

Also what “tax breaks” are you claiming private landlords get?

As a landlord ( renting out UK house while overseas) I was for example able to deduct a lot of maintenance or replacement costs of items in the home and grounds.

This meant that the amount of profit I would be taxed on would be reduced.

There is no equivalent tax deductible that I noticed when we lived in the house, unless I missed it?

The plus of this arrangement is that it is an incentive for landlords to spend money on maintaining properties but homeowners don't have this.

There is a 20% tax credit on interest payments which isn't as generous as the previous arrangements but as a lower rate tax payer isn't bad.

Where the funding is coming from is totally relevant for people in temporary accommodation who believe their housing chances are impacted by asylum seekers.

Overall I agree with the point that taking asylum seekers isn't a free process and needs decent funding to work well.

@phishy

But they are placed ahead on arrival, and stay ahead for many years.

Placed ahead where @mustlovegin ?Everything I’ve read online says those given refugee status join the back of the queue.

I think they mean placed ahead because they classify as ‘homeless’. Many people are in precarious situations but don’t classify as homeless yet so aren’t top priority. These people are behind refugees. A poster explained it quite well on here.

Again pp have said it varies by council so unless someone has done an official survey on all of them everything is hearsay

Apologies if this is a completely ignorant comment. I would consider fostering an Afghani child to give them a safe home and access to education if that were a possibility but I presume it isn't as most refuges usually seem to be men for obvious reasons. Is this possible?

@LowlandLucky

Is there a charity that helps you let out your spare room to homeless British people ?

Yep - a quick Google will bring up a charity who will help you to do this.

To a certain extent all the government's money is magical.
The national debt and such.

Ensuring that our countries credit rating is as high as possible has got to be a way to ensure we have more actual money to spend on services.

@ItsASpot

Apologies if this is a completely ignorant comment. I would consider fostering an Afghani child to give them a safe home and access to education if that were a possibility but I presume it isn't as most refuges usually seem to be men for obvious reasons. Is this possible?

Yes it’s possible! Charities linked upthread who help with this.

@JackieCollinshasnoauthority

Wales. We've abolished right to buy, we're investing in social housing and we want to welcome refugees.

Love this post! 🙌🙌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Mustlovegin

I’m loathe to disagree with you given your user name .

However, my husband pays an eye-watering amount of tax, as did I at various points when working.
We are both more than happy for a proportion of it to be spent on resettling people (many highly educated professionals who certainly won’t be a burden long-term but will contribute positively to our society) whose lives have been torn apart.

Yes it’s possible! Charities linked upthread who help with this.
I haven RTFT but will scroll back, thank you. How would these children be able to leave Afghanistan though?

I think they mean placed ahead because they classify as ‘homeless’. Many people are in precarious situations but don’t classify as homeless yet so aren’t top priority. These people are behind refugees. A poster explained it quite well on here.

They only classify as homeless once they actually are homeless. From the Citizens Advice Bureau:

“After you get refugee status

If you’ve been living somewhere as part of getting Asylum Support, you’ll have to move within 28 days of getting refugee status.”

To a certain extent all the government's money is magical

It's not magical. They are real notes coming out of people's pockets FFS!

@PenCreed

We're lucky enough to have have two spare rooms, we offer one of them to refugees and have done for a few years now. They get the support and help from the agencies that place them, all we have to do is make small talk and occasionally feed them.

There are at least two charities that do it.
Room for Refugees: www.roomforrefugees.com
Refugees at Home: www.refugeesathome.org

We're on a break at the moment as we hosted two people (one after the other) through lockdowns and it was a bit intense, plus we need to do some work on the house, but will be hosting again later in the year.

That's wonderful

@LowlandLucky

Is there a charity that helps you let out your spare room to homeless British people ?

Posting these again for others who may have missed it

www.roomforrefugees.com

www.refugeesathome.org

It is disgusting to think of empty palaces/buildings owned by the RF.