Refugees: Hotels

(asked on 10th March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many bridging hotels are being used for refugee resettlement.


Answered by
Kevin Foster Portrait
Kevin Foster
This question was answered on 28th March 2022

There are currently over 12,000 in bridging accommodation. This cohort includes Afghan nationals who may be eligible for Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and British nationals.

We are working at pace across government and with over three hundred Local Authority partners to secure longer term housing for Afghan evacuees so they can settle and rebuild their lives as soon as possible.

We currently have Home Office Liaison Officers (HOLO’s) in place in bridging hotels. The role of the HOLO is to provide both face to face support and remote support when not physically present. They are reactive to the needs of those accommodated in hotels and can provide signposting to other government departments and Local Authorities and ensure safeguarding concerns are appropriately acted upon.

We are also providing funding to local authorities to deliver support services in the hotel, including ensuring access education and health services

Wherever possible we have contracted bridging hotels in or near major conurbations to ensure access to services, yet we are reliant on them being available to us for use as we cannot compel hotel owners to work with us or to allow use of their property.

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