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 was trying to make the point that economics are a little more complicated than this,

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

Yes taxation is one source of income, some from individuals, some from corporations.

But the national debt and how that is serviced also has a big impact on a country's finances.

The chancellor of the exchequer doesn't work out how much money he wants to give out by just counting notes currently in circulation.

It doesn't mean that setting spending is simple, obviously tax returns have an impact.

Huge amounts of extra money can be created, for quantitative easing for example but obviously this can have a very negative impact on an economy if it goes wrong.

Large amounts of a country's money are notional, we abandoned the gold standard in 1931.

Our local council has put out a call for private landlords with accommodation that might be suitable to come forward so that it could be co opted onto the council scheme for use by incoming refugees (and 3 properties have already been put forward).
It's a daring move for this area and already nearly 600 comments, many offensive, on their Facebook page. But our area takes the brunt of Channel crossing refugees, and we also have a large Gurkha community whom many in the area (of all ethnicities) feel have been badly let down by Government policy on army pensions, so I can see both sides to the issue. Many comments are of the 'but we can't look after those already here...' ilk.

@LowlandLucky

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

Hi @LowlandLucky , somebody posted this link upthread

uk.depaulcharity.org/nightstop/

I'm a terrible housekeeper and host myself so can't imagine doing this, but really impressed by anyone who does.

@GalaPie

Our local council has put out a call for private landlords with accommodation that might be suitable to come forward so that it could be co opted onto the council scheme for use by incoming refugees (and 3 properties have already been put forward). It's a daring move for this area and already nearly 600 comments, many offensive, on their Facebook page. But our area takes the brunt of Channel crossing refugees, and we also have a large Gurkha community whom many in the area (of all ethnicities) feel have been badly let down by Government policy on army pensions, so I can see both sides to the issue. Many comments are of the 'but we can't look after those already here...' ilk.

That’s interesting - how much do the council pay? I’m presuming a fixed sum that includes rent and utilities?

Also what’s the council house waiting list like in your area

This is one of the reasons the council are asking for fresh private rental properties - so that people don't complain that refugees are getting council houses ahead of people who have been on the list for years.

I've no idea what remuneration landlords will get, I imagine market rent plus a decent wear and tear allowance? And guaranteed rent I presume.

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

Are you offering one of your rooms in your nice area then MrsSkylerWhite ?

I'm not so sure your DH would agree with you. A prime and unpalatable example of someone who can easily squander family money as you are not the one who has had to earn it.

@GalaPie

This is one of the reasons the council are asking for fresh private rental properties - so that people don't complain that refugees are getting council houses ahead of people who have been on the list for years.

I've no idea what remuneration landlords will get, I imagine market rent plus a decent wear and tear allowance? And guaranteed rent I presume.

I remember from a tv a guy was renting to a council or ha. They guaranteed so if the tenant stopped paying, council/ha would, samrle with trashing property. I don't think there was any extra payment

Today 20:29 mustlovegin

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

Are you offering one of your rooms in your nice area then MrsSkylerWhite ?

I'm not so sure your DH would agree with you. A prime and unpalatable example of someone who can easily squander family money as you are not the one who has had to earn it.“

No, I wouldn’t want strangers of any nationality in my private space. My husband would me much more relaxed about it than I would because he’s really nice.

Are you always so rude? You have no idea how much money I had in my bank account when we married, cheeky sod.

The idea that we shouldn't have an opinion on this (or any policy) if we don't pay income tax is just a throwback to the system where only property owners were allowed to vote, surely?

@SchrodingersImmigrant

I know that when I was in emgency accommodation the rent was 700 a week. I don't know what deposit they were given. But the places are in awful condition.

[quote TractorAndHeadphones]@entropynow (tagged because I can’t quote) whereabouts is this? What was the justification for the LA not providing shelter?

The thread has lots of facts assumptions etc flying around but in most cases it depends on the LA and the goodwill of the existing residents. I’d be interested to here how it works by area depending on which channel the refugees came in from .[/quote]
Glasgow. LA said it's up to the voluntary sector to provide segregated accommodation. Refugees are from Congo, Kurdistan and Syria - Home Office placements as far as I know.

The refugees we are taking will be the best educated, with the highest skills and savings as they are those worked with or for the UK/US or the Afghan government, or are the Kabul elite and merchant class.

Many will not need to be housed by the council if they get a status that allows s

them to work as quickly as possible with some support

the number of people demonising and disparaging refugees is just depressing.

Whataboutism at it's worst. Where is the humanity? So many people laughing at/not caring about other people in dire straits.

That's rubbish. So disappointing that so many people have no empathy or humanity.

@phishy

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.”

That's right.

So, you arrive as an asylum seeker (like everyone we are mostly using the word refugee on this thread, but they are different). You get your emergency housing. You have 35 pounds a week so prob aren't saving much. You aren't allowed to work. You've no access to credit. One day, out of the blue - months or years later - good news! You are no longer an asylum seeker. You are a refugee. You have refuge. Oh and please get out of the home somewhere in the UK where we settled you and get a job or a benefit claim together, a deposit and a private rental within 28 days, or you'll be homeless. You've no priority at this point

It's a cruel and stupid system, and does put pressure on council waiting lists, as well as pushing refugees onto benefits and onto the streets of London. Obviously a sane transition period would make a difference. There's no conspiracy anywhere to make life nicer for refugees than for British people needing housing. They're just two differently awful systems.

It is both cruel and stupid and wasteful. Wastes the talent people bring with them.

@kidsteens how utterly awful the accommodation your are in is, I'm so sorry to see this. I also wanted to respond to another commenter further down the thread and say your baby looks a lovely weight so please don't feel sad about that comment. As someone who also has petite kids I know that not all babies have squidge x

@sadperson16

Sorry but the picture of the baby....is everything OK. His right rib seems to be sticking out? Sorry, no wish to offend in any way.

There's nothing wrong with him he was just in an odd position. It's also an old photo. It was just to show the bites he was getting in our temporary accommodation.

@Fangdango thanks, that’s my understanding too. I’ve asked the pp saying refugees jump the housing queue for evidence but none has been forthcoming.

*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”.*

Well said, @Jellycatspyjamas, and I agree with every word.

[quote Buttons294749]@kidsteens how utterly awful the accommodation your are in is, I'm so sorry to see this. I also wanted to respond to another commenter further down the thread and say your baby looks a lovely weight so please don't feel sad about that comment. As someone who also has petite kids I know that not all babies have squidge x[/quote]
I have managed to make it much better to what it was. Sadly my kids think it's normal to get this sort of vermin . I have managed to stop quite alot of it. I had to pull kitchen units out and everything. The bed bug problem has gone I think . Although they can lay dormant for a long time so I get very paranoid. In my first temporary it was a strong smell of dead rats /mice. The first thing I do when ever I get moved is check the place for holes and go in with expanding foam wire wool. Poison and traps. It's really shitty living that way. I actually think the places the council use are hard to let places in shit holes. So they landlord let's the council use them fir temporary accommodation . And charge a very heigh rent for them.

@Kidsteens i think what you posted was necessary. Because some people have no idea. Ive been raging for a long time that people have to live that way in a "first" world country. Your baby and those bites

They will need a lot of help and support, not only just housing, schooling and health but also language support, familiarisation (how to set up a bank account, access health care etc), access to adult education which will lead to jobs and independence.

Don’t worry yourself, this type of support is generally provided by charities, staffed by volunteers with bugger all help from the government.

[quote MercyBooth]@Kidsteens i think what you posted was necessary. Because some people have no idea. Ive been raging for a long time that people have to live that way in a "first" world country. Your baby and those bites [/quote]
Thank you. Yes I wanted to show what's its like in temporary accommodation its very grim. I have managed to make it much better . But there are people in my situation who will not be able to make it better and would have had to put up with it . Im being moved to yet another temporary accommodation soon and I will probably have to deal with it all over again. My kids run to me in an excited voice mummy there's a rat in the bathroom. Because they think it's normal 😔 I have been in temporary for 3 years. And when I bid on property's I'm still in the 200s