Forum Topic

Syrian refugee family need somewhere to live in Ealing or Acton

There is a Syrian refugee in Acton whose family - wife and three children of whom the oldest is 10 - arrive in about ONE WEEK on a family reunification visa..They have nowhere to live.He is desperate to stay in Ealing/Acton because he has a job. As he speaks not a word of English, I imagine this is poorly paid and he would be eligible for housing benefit.Can we find him somewhere?And this would be a real, positive achievement after so long faffing about with the VPRS.Please post here or email me at info@refugeesathome.org if you can help

Sara Nathan ● 3194d22 Comments

If we were thinking about our own homeless first then we would be building social housing here instead of sending our homeless out of London and away from their family and friends and their support network and not building masses of flats to sell to buyers from overseas which are too expensive for local people.  I wonder what the Council is offering up for development at MIPIM this year?

Philippa Bond ● 3157d

I doubt that very much,and again the HMG  looks after these people,these schemes are not needed?Look after own own needy first?

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3160d

Sara, I hope you can please clear up my confusion. So, the government accepted this chap as a genuine refugee, gave him a visa to be here,but then left him to sleep on the streets? Then gave his family, children included, visas to come with still nowhere to live? Is that right, did that really happen?

Donna Fraser ● 3161d

Dennis,Like you I think its time to give our needy a chance,aperson moved up north because he could not be accommodated here,Council could not help?Lets get real here,we have done enough for other people,lets think of our own homeless first!!!!!!!!

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3161d

In parts of Scotland it is far harder to get permission to build housing due to crofting laws.Left over efforts from the Highland Clearances still in effect today.

Dave Smith ● 3173d

Sara,  I've sent you a pm.

Maggie Anderson ● 3173d

Well said,Mary,you are speaking for many who feel the same,regards John.

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3182d

I agree with you Peter. There are many, many homeless citizens sleeping rough in Ealing already. I personally often liaise with authorities about them. I am not sure why this family "needs accommodation in Ealing or Acton". They should get accommodation where available even out of London. Also I noticed the Newsletter promoting the ideal of private residents to take such families in their houses in a previous edition. I would suggest any candidates to be mindful of their health and to ensure that they have access to information from all vetting made by authorities before having anyone inside their homes. It is for the Government to provide the needing families with their accommodation. It is a difficult situation, but there are many other citizens queuing up in the make shifts little beds in the cold in the streets of Ealing. Our GPs and Hospital area also stretched to the limit, not to mention that big families need many school places. Thank you.

Mary Vera ● 3182d

As usual the same way that 3,000 refugees attacked Central Paris and unbelievable rioting is daily removed from Facebook and not reported in the press !

Dennis Brogan ● 3183d

Do you have a link?  I can't seem to find it and there is no search facility

Jeremy Hanson ● 3183d

This government don't believe in building social housing. Nobody will solve our problems here until housing is truly "affordable".

Philippa Bond ● 3183d

Agreed,we need to think about the homeless and needy here,whythese people are allowed in with now where to stay,its the local authorities job to sort this problem out anyway,we have massive problems here to solve,I think we  have done our share to help in this situation and its time to rethink?

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3184d

This was in West London in court today ! This keeps happening and will continue to happen ! (Get West London ) !

Dennis Brogan ● 3190d

I wonder just how many flats are available in Dickens Yard for social housing???Most of these are probably being sold to foreign investors to remain empty.

Jean F Fernandez ● 3190d

Not enough social housing, not enough mid-sized homes for people wanting to down-size.  Yes, and too many high rise homes for people who don't even live here.  Too much planning regulation interference from Whitehall when what there is already is difficult to comply with as one lot of rules conflicts with another and it can be difficult to navigate - which is why it can take a lot of time to build.  Scotland has made sure that their Lawful Permitted Development Rights are better than ours.  Shame.

Philippa Bond ● 3190d

That's why the history taught seems to mostly be the Greeks and Romans Tudors and Stuarts!

Philippa Bond ● 3190d

The problem is there is a glut of high rent accommodation that is not family friendly. Mainly for the Estate Agents and developers favourite - The Young professional.  Excessive profiteering and greed fuels this too much.Take a look at the kind of investors involved with some developers and it says it all.  Fast and big bucks.There would not be a crisis if all of the empty new dwellings, overpriced and not in full occupation and not built for local people were forced to be occupied full time.It cannot be right in such a compact country that we allow building of investment apartments marketed at discounts outside of the EU, that are really not suitable for normal living integrated into the community. And that much of these are empty for most of the year.Nor would there be such a crisis if there were stricter regulations on what developers can build. Some of that hails from poor designations by Councils within local town plans allowing horse trading of premium sites which become so from changes of use etc. This kind of propagation is what goes on in places like Cannes and one wonders just why this borough and others allow Regeneration officers and councillors to attend when they ought to have no truck with such closed and secretive events.Just a look at local new flats with tiny balconies too small for a table and a chair piled high with kids bikes and toys and nowhere for them to go and enjoy them.Places are  the wrong kind and we are fuelling a new raft of social problems which will start to manifest as the overcrowding in these inappropriate developments starts to mature.Affordable is a variable in the vocabulary of those who are doing very nicely out of it.Affordable needs to be clearly defined and set.But over density, over concentration and social imbalances are all lessons that should have been learned by now and not repeated.

Mark Kehoe ● 3190d

When we look at the shortage of accommodation we see townhouses and apartments being built for sale. In reality we should only be building for reasonable rent at the moment. The stock for rented housing needs to be built up. So odd brownfield corners need to be turned into a few houses of different sizes and flats to be given to responsible people on the housing list or tenants deserving a better place. we also need reasonable rent-able flats and bed-sits for single people. the housing being built generally makes little impact at the moment. When we look at the homeless in this country we see working people who cant get somewhere to live. The poverty line is shooting up with house prices. Yes it is important to welcome people in need but without the will and effort to resolve housing issues then the subject of refugees becomes a subject that helps foster division.

Peter Chadburn ● 3190d

We should be able to do some of both.The problem is exacerbated because many in this country do not actually look after their own as well as can't look after their own. In Canada children have to look after their parents.

Philippa Bond ● 3190d

Peter,I fully agree,look after our own,regards John.

Dr John Stolworthy D.Sc ● 3190d

Agreed it is sad, however we need to sort out our own backyard first.Im not saying stop refugees full term, just find homes for the people already over here ( not forgetting possible future births)There was a speech in the commons yesterday about the severe housing crisis. The only way we can sort that is by capping the population input

Peter Yale ● 3191d

It's all very sad but rather infuriating that there are affluent towns and districts all over the country that have not taken a single family.Yet the boroughs with serious housing issues, whom are sending local born young adults as far as Birmingham, are taking on more newcomers at the same time.It speaks volumes about the compassion of our local society but really, other parts of the country who can accommodate and offer a decent chance need to be prodded a bit more.

Mark Kehoe ● 3191d