Walthamstow: Around 400 asylum seekers ordered to leave hotel

A protest was held at a hotel in north-east London after around 400 asylum seekers were told they would have to leave their accommodation.

The Home Office is holding hundreds of people, including families, in hotels in Walthamstow while their asylum applications are processed, some beyond 2022.

Residents were informed in a letter dated last Thursday that their rooms would “no longer be available” from Friday this week.

The Home Office said it took their welfare “very seriously”.

It said it would not “regularly comment” on individual cases or individual hotels, but added: “Support will also be provided to assist with resettlement in new areas, including regular welfare checks.” Ta.

Asylum seekers and members of the wider community staged a protest outside the hotel on Thursday morning, calling for the decision to be reversed.

One asylum seeker from Iran, who has been living in the hotel for a year, told BBC London that he received a notice to be removed from London about a week ago.

“I was really stressed and anxious. I was thinking about my daughter and wanted her to go to daycare,” she said. “It was too much and I couldn’t sleep. I said no, I’m not going.

“They gave me an address in Welwyn Garden City, which is an area I don't know, but I'm about to take my exam here.”

She said she was studying English and maths for her GCSEs, adding: “I was told I would be homeless if I refused. It's really unfair on such short notice.”

She explained that the other families at the hotel have not yet been informed of where they will be transferred.

Iftakhar Latif, a volunteer at Faizan-e-Islam Mosque, said: Now, suddenly, they were asked to leave.

“It's really, really shameful. They're not cows, they're people. We don't keep moving them from one place to another. We should have compassion because they have dignity. .”

He added: “While we understand that it is more cost-effective to gather asylum seekers when hotels are half empty, this could have been phased in over several months. It's my fault,” he added.

A letter informing residents was sent by Clearsprings Lady Homes, the government's housing contractor for asylum seekers.

“We take the welfare of the people we detain during the asylum process very seriously,” the group said in a statement.

“We are unable to comment on individual matters at this time.”

It remains unclear how far residents will be relocated from Walthamstow, but Clear Springs will find “suitable alternative” housing in Home Office-funded “initial accommodation” (usually hostels or hotels). Stated.

“We will endeavor to provide at least five days' notice of any move, but in some cases less may be required,” Clear Springs said in the letter.

Hotel residents are said to have the “right” to take two pieces of luggage per person to their new accommodation.

Speaking ahead of the protest, Vanessa Conant, rector of St Mary's Church in Walthamstow, said those living in the hotel were “members of our community”.

“They attend our faith communities, our schools, our warm spaces,” she said. “They are truly our neighbors and we need to look after them just like we would any other neighbor or resident of Waltham Forest.”

Waltham Forest Council leader Grace Williams said she was “deeply disappointed” that the asylum seekers had been removed from the area with “just a few days' notice”.

“This is despite receiving communication from the Home Office that hotels will not close until April,” she said.

“It is understandable that this news is causing great distress and stress to vulnerable people who need our support. We believe they are residents of Forest,” he added.

Ms Williams added that the short time frame made “decent planning and support virtually impossible”.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Significant progress has been made in moving asylum seekers out of hotels, costing British taxpayers £8.2 million a day.”

“Accommodation will be allocated on a freedom of choice basis and individuals may be moved elsewhere in accordance with accommodation allocation guidance.

“We are working closely with accommodation providers and local authorities to manage the exit process in a way that minimizes the impact on partners and individuals.”