Thanet council is asking private landlords and agents to help in a bid to respond the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The council says it l is keen to work with the Government and Kent County Council to support the resettlement of Afghan families in suitable accommodation and will offer settlement for some families in Thanet.
The council is asking private landlords and agents to assist with this process and offers from the private sector are already coming forward.
Officers are liaising with the county council and council leader Ash Ashbee is writing to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government for clarification on the position for funding.
A statement from Thanet council says: “The council is keen to ensure that there are suitable funding arrangements to provide long-term support and to ensure that affordability issues within the local private rented housing market could be overcome. “The council would not support the placement of vulnerable households, newly arriving in the country in poor quality, unsuitable accommodation.”
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was due to complete its troop withdrawal after two decades. Kabul was captured on August 15.
Taliban forces took all major cities in just days, retaking the control that the militants had previously held in the 1990s.
Afghan nationals have since been fleeing the country with many fearing revenge attacks on those who worked with Western forces. Others have been leaving with fears of the return of Islamic laws with harsh rules for women, including full burqa’s and only leaving home when accompanied by a male, and barbaric punishments such as stoning and cutting off the hands of those found guilty of theft.
Private sector landlords interested in working with Thanet District Council to resettle Afghan families should contact Chris Burgess – Housing Options Manager [email protected]