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Council support for Afghan resettlement

Councils play a key role in supporting arrivals from Afghanistan resettle in the UK


Current context

Councils accommodate and support Afghan families under the two schemes outlined below.

As well as exiting three year per capita funding to support integration and accommodation, councils have access to funding that aims to support case working in hotels, move on and to fund possible homelessness provision. The Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) also has a focus on helping councils source additional homes to house Afghans.

Programme developments

The Government announced in March 2023 that temporary bridging accommodation for Afghans who came to the UK following the evacuation August 2021 would close in a staggered process by 31 August 2023. The impact of households then approaching councils for homelessness supportcan be found in our research report.

It was further announced in July 2023 that a small number of hotels would be kept open for Afghans either with medical needs or families whose permanent accommodation was not yet ready. Following the closure of these in December 2023, a small number of hotels stayed open for complex medical cases and new arrivals from third countries who did not have accommodation, with the majority moving straight to permanent homes. The Ministry of Defence is also now supporting new arrivals under the ARAP scheme in serviced family accommodation both temporarily and permanently, with councils or contracted providers providing support.

Revised funding instruction s, allocations for the homelessness funding announced in the Autumn Statement and more detail on the LAHF Round 3 funding are expected.

Further information for councils

This page will be updated as more information for councils becomes available. Please contact your Strategic Migration Partnership for more information.

Schemes

Funding

Programme developments

The role of the LGA

More information on this topic can be found on our refugees and asylum seekers page.

More information on current arrivals can be found on our data on asylum and resettlement page.

More information on our work on housing and homelessness can be found on our housing, planning and homelessness page.