Due to the scale and pace of the evacuation in Afghanistan we have had to use hotels as a temporary accommodation measure. We do not want to keep people in temporary accommodation for any longer than is absolutely necessary. We have moved \u2013 or are in the process of moving - over 7,000 people into permanent homes since June 2021. There is a huge effort underway to support the families into permanent homes as soon as we can so they can settle and rebuild their lives, and to ensure those still temporarily accommodated in hotels are given the best start to their life in the UK.<\/p>
We continue to work with local authorities to source appropriate accommodation as quickly as possible. We have set up a bespoke local engagement team within Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with named points of contact for each region across the country, to make it easier for local authorities to come forward with offers of accommodation \u2013 including larger properties to support bigger families - and develop strong local integration initiatives.<\/p>
In addition, we are working on a number of alternative accommodation options including MOD properties, using education based accommodation and the private rented sector. This includes providing councils with additional resources for appropriate properties.<\/p>
The government is working with councils to find families settled homes as quickly as possible. It is right we take time to ensure families are provided with suitable homes which support their integration alongside access to education and employment.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4451", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Foster"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Torbay"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Kevin Foster"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-09-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-09-06T09:50:55.573Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-07-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Refugees: Afghanistan"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to find residential accommodation for Afghan refugees who are living in bridging hotels.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4471", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachael Maskell"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "York Central"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Rachael Maskell"} ], "uin" : "42078"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 1, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }