Warrington Confirms Number of Asylum Seekers in Contingency Hotels
Warrington’s council reveals the current status of asylum seekers in local hotels amid rising homelessness concerns
Warrington, UK, Asylum Seekers, Homelessness, Contingency Hotels
Warrington: The council is gearing up to approve a new strategy for tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. This plan will cover the years 2025 to 2030 and is set to be discussed in a meeting on Monday.
One key part of the strategy looks at the growing pressures on housing and homelessness. Right now, Warrington has two ‘contingency’ hotels with 149 bed spaces in various houses managed by a private contractor for the Home Office.
These hotels are currently housing asylum seekers who are waiting for decisions on their applications. If their applications get approved, they receive a notice to quit, usually pretty quickly.
When that happens, they’re told to go to the local authority to present themselves as homeless. It’s a bit of a tough situation, really.
According to the latest figures, 98 households have sought help for homelessness after leaving asylum accommodation from April to July 2024. That’s a big jump from previous years.
Currently, there are 234 people staying in those two hotels. The council is also looking to create a housing investment fund by October 2024 to help tackle this issue.
This fund aims to reduce the reliance on hotels and make sure the council is following the law when it comes to placing homeless families.