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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
- GOV.UK Existing integration funding to councils for support for Afghan households, January 2023
- Local Authority Housing Fund: Round 2
Programme developments
- Interim accommodation policy change: medical cases January 2024
- Afghan resettlement update in Parliament, December 2023
- Afghan bridging hotel exit operational data November 2023
- Afghanistan resettlement and immigration policy statement July 2023
- Announcement of hotel closure in Parliament, 28 March 2023
- GOV.UK Information for Afghans on finding accommodation, May 2023
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.
Highlighted pages
Afghan homelessness fears as LGA warns of asylum and resettlement pressures
The LGA is calling for the Government to work with councils on a jointly managed, locally driven process to asylum and resettlement that properly takes into account pressures on local areas and public services.