Housing secretary says purpose built ‘modular’ structures on sites like ex military bases is the answer to ending reliance on hotels
The first phase of Awaab’s law, which promises to protect tenants from dangerous social housing conditions, comes into force in England on Monday, in memory of a two-year-old boy who died after exposure to mould in his home, Chris Osuh reports.
Freedom from Torture, a charity that works with asylum seekers, is concerned about the idea that refugees might be removed from hotels and placed in barrack-style accommodation instead. (See 9.23am.) In a response to the Home Office report, Sile Reynolds, its head of asylum advocacy, said:
Everyday Freedom from Torture therapists see first-hand the devastating impact that hotels, military sites and shared bedrooms have on people who came to this country seeking safety. Living in fear, without privacy, stability, or access to proper healthcare, strips people of their dignity and undermines their recovery.
The Ggvernment now has a crucial opportunity to once and for all transform our asylum accommodation system so that it is safe, dignified and based in our communities. They can act now to relieve pressure on hotels by making better quality and faster asylum decisions, including swiftly granting status to people from countries where they are almost always recognised as refugees like Syria and Sudan.
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