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?

Well yes, but these EU citizens either were already here or, if not in the country, need to work housing into their plans for returning. They're already living somewhere. What's the relevance?

Meanwhile:

Raab said the UK would reconsider its aid budget for Afghanistan, which could increase by 10% – though the fund has already been cut by more than three-quarters

So there's a bit of saving they can invest in housing ...

We are talking about 5000 people a year. We've lost multiples of that in foreign students alone since Brexit. Our birth rate is dropping. There are over 250 000 empty houses in England alone.

Refugees that come in groups like this often start in London because they land at Heathrow. They might stay for a few weeks nearby. Meanwhile the home office negotiates with local councils around the country to see if they can take a larger group of people. Many councils refuse to have them, a few accept (sadly some of those that have frequently accepted, (and consequently which have higher numbers of refugees per population) include places like Stoke on Trent, which have became bases for UKIP and Brexit). 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. Many refugees come from rural societies and have little experience of living and thriving in Western developed economies.

Children adapt quickly, learn the language in school and usually go on to do well. Elderly refugees who interact less with the local community do less so. Many are confused, traumatised and homesick. It's traumatic for them and a massive adjustment. Whatever you think of the rights and wrongs of the war in Afghanistan, they put their lives in danger to help UK and US and we need to do the right thing by them.

@Wheretoeattweenandteen

Wow, I didn't realise so many eu nationals here!

5.6 million,

20 000 refugees in genuine need pales into insignificance

Yes, it's a small number to accommodate, proportionately.

Refugees have been welcomed in places like Bute. There's a depopulation crisis in some Scottish Isles.

These people are fleeing for their lives. They will also be very keen to gain their independence and become self supporting as soon as possible.

And invoke a law to make use of all the second, third and so on homes.

@Bunnyfuller

How about we look more closely at those in the council houses that originally got them due to circumstances which are no longer relevant, yet they’re still taking up accommodation.

Fair point.

@AttaGirrrrl

I’d take ‘family of five in a one bedroom flat’ over ‘being killed for going to school’, so I don’t think it much matters where refugees go, so long as it’s somewhere safe.

This all day long.

@Lalliella

Perhaps everyone who has a second home or an empty property could have it compulsorily purchased? Including the Royal family. This would solve homelessness at a stroke too.

I agree entirely.

@Bunnyfuller

How about we look more closely at those in the council houses that originally got them due to circumstances which are no longer relevant, yet they’re still taking up accommodation.

I have a relative in that position.

3 bed council house which she was given many years ago because other family were living with her, they moved on after a year and now 20 years later she's still in the same place with two extra bedrooms - but has the audacity to moan about the lack of social housing for other families.

Selfish if you ask me.

I can't imagine her rushing to open her home to refugees either..

Let's hope enough of them escape from the Taliban for it to be a problem for us - it's not looking great at the minute

@Meeklynamechanged

100s of Thousands expected to move here from Hong Kong, why?

I'm clearly not up to date on current affairs because it's the first I've heard of that.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/13/can-we-ever-return-tears-and-heartbreak-as-hongkongers-leave-for-a-new-life-in-the-uk

Several families in my town are offering up spare rooms. I think it’s great. We have Syrian families here who are very settled and most people have welcomed them with open arms.

@Fangdango - it's shocking that there's 250k empty properties! I wish they could be made available to those in need.

@StoneofDestiny

Buckingham Palace, Sandringham, Windsor, Balmoral, Kensington Palace etc etc - loads of spare rooms that lie empty most of the year. A great use for them

That's a marvellous solution!

My council is asking for people with spare empty properties to let the council use them. Therefore the Afghanistan’s will get immediate social housing.

@Bunnyfuller

And invoke a law to make use of all the second, third and so on homes.

Amen to that!!

@ThymeafterThyme

FFS. They are human. Just like you aspire to be

I don't aspire to be human, I just am. Please let's try and have a sensible discussion. Would you want a man who is a stranger living in your house?

Quite a bizarre way of looking at it.

They're not a stranger once you meet them.

I already have a male lodger in one of my spare rooms who is a 46 year old MH nurse who can't begin to afford a place of his own in the Home Counties on his NHS salary.

I will also be looking into providing another spare room for a refugee.

@StoneofDestiny

These people are fleeing for their lives. They will also be very keen to gain their independence and become self supporting as soon as possible.

This.

Please don't lump the Aghan refugees in with the Hong Kongers. Though many of these will be educated as well. The 200,000 people estimated to be moving from HK will be very well educated, university graduates as an absolute minimum & wealthy. A tiny flat in HK is worth over a million. They're already cash buyers in Hale Barns and the affluent areas of Manchester.
Don't worry the UK will not be supporting them. Hopefully they will bring money into the UK.

@Feelingoktoday

My council is asking for people with spare empty properties to let the council use them. Therefore the Afghanistan’s will get immediate social housing.

What an excellent idea, as I’m sure you’d agree.

Thank you for the link @lionheart