Afghan refugees: what can we do to help?

One of the biggest and most generous resettlement schemes in Britain’s history is now underway as the last of the Afghan refugees have arrived on British soil. 
 
Around 8,000 Afghans who worked for the British government and our military forces – as translators, security guards, patrol drivers and so on – have now been successfully evacuated on RAF flights. Most of them are being looked after at hotels near UK airports as they complete their ten-day quarantine. According to relief workers, many arrived with no possessions and, after the Kabul airport bombing, without even a pair of shoes on their feet. 
 
Victoria Atkins, the newly-appointed minister for Afghan resettlement, is now in charge of a two-tier programme: the first is designed to look after the Afghans who worked directly with the British over the last 20 years while the second is for those who have fled because of fears of persecution under the new Taliban regime.  
 
Afghans who worked for the British government will be helped under the Afghan relocation and assistance policy (ARAP) and will be eligible for permanent residency in the UK rather than having to wait the usual five year period. 
 
Others will be assisted through a second government scheme – the Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme (ARCS) – aka Operation Warm Welcome – which promises to resettle 5,000 vulnerable Afghans within the next year and 20,000 longer term. 
 
All of these refugees will be given immediate indefinite leave to remain and the option of applying for British citizenship after five years in the UK, according to Boris Johnson. The PM has also pledged £12m to create school places for children of Afghan visa-holders and £3m for the NHS to help Afghans make use of healthcare services. 
 
One of the biggest challenges will undoubtedly be finding permanent homes for all arrivals, especially given the shortage of social housing in the UK. 
 
As with the 2015-20 Syrian resettlement scheme, most Afghan refugees are expected to be resettled with local authorities which are now in the process of volunteering to take in a certain number of people. But hundreds of the refugees may have to stay living in hotels for months while local authorities locate the right housing. 
 
So far more than 100 councils have signed up to take some of the refugees while around 30 have said they do not have the resources as they were already overwhelmed with demands for temporary accommodation before this latest crisis emerged. 
 
Another difficulty facing councils is that Afghan families tend to be large: the average household comprising eight members while the average UK house has fewer than three bedrooms.
 
To help the local councils, ministers have announced £5 million to cover the costs of accommodating them. According to the Home Office, 2,000 homes have already been confirmed.
 
Among the public more generally, there has been an abundance of goodwill shown towards the Afghans arriving in Britain.
 
Charities across the country have been inundated with donations, with some being forced to shut their doors to sort through the mountains of items piling up at drop-off points, which will be placed into emergency welcome packs for families. 
 
But there are still many ways to be of help. According to Care4Calais, demand remains for specific items: good quality shoes and coats for adults and children, baby buggies and baby carriers, and unlocked smartphones. What is more, the charity is in desperate need of volunteers to sort through the heaps of donations, and van drivers to ferry goods around.
 
Another way to help those fleeing the chaos is to offer up your spare room. Refugees at Home and Rooms for Refugees are both charities looking to connect willing hosts with refugees and asylum seekers. 
 
The Adolescent and Children’s Trust, a fostering charity, is also recruiting foster carers for unaccompanied Afghan children. And for those willing to reach into their pockets, you could also donate to the Refugee Council, which has an appeal to help Afghans resettling in the UK. 

Covid: good and bad news 

The UK’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has topped 200 for the first time since March. But roughly 94 per cent of people in the UK now have coronavirus antibodies, either through vaccination or past infection, according to new ONS data. 

Texas “Heartbeat Act” 

The most stringent abortion law in the US has come into effect today in Texas, banning abortion from as early as six weeks into pregnancy. 

Renewable energy breakthrough 

Swiss scientists have tapped into an unexpected energy source: wooden flooring. The “nanogenerator” they have developed turns footsteps into electricity. 

Caitlin Allen
Reaction Reporter