Buckinghamshire council buys homes for asylum seekers
Fifteen new homes have been provided for Ukrainian and Afghan refugee families in Buckinghamshire.
Fifteen new homes have been provided for Ukrainian and Afghan refugee families in Buckinghamshire.
Working in partnership with Fairhive, Buckinghamshire Council purchased 15 three-bedroom properties through the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund.
These have now been offered to Ukrainians moving on from temporary accommodation or host families, as well as Afghan families who had been living in unsuitable housing.
In August, nine Ukrainian families and four Afghan families moved into their new homes. Once the properties are no longer needed for resettlement, they will become part of the county’s social housing stock, available to local residents.
The council, using government funding, has also supported two Ukrainians to qualify as English language tutors by funding their certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages training.
Having successfully completed the course, the council is now working with Buckinghamshire Adult Learning to identify teaching opportunities, helping to meet the growing demand for English classes across the county.
This comes after the authority confirmed there are currently no asylum hotels operating in the county, with the Home Office adding that there are no plans to establish any new facilities.
Council leader Steven Broadbent said: “However, like all counties across England, we are legally required to take a number of asylum seekers. We currently have a small number of people, mainly families, living in Buckinghamshire who are seeking asylum. None of them live in hotels.
“We recognise that Buckinghamshire residents have shown huge compassion and generosity to those in need, for example hosting Ukrainian guests in their homes, and to Afghan families who have moved countries following brave support of UK and allied forces.”