Six-bedroom home offered to family fleeing Syrian war

A family of refugees from Syria will be moving into a six-bedroom home in Eynsford after a local family could not be found to move in.

The property has been available since February 2016 but Sevenoaks District Council and the landlord, West Kent Housing Association, has not been able to find a suitable family.

After considering other options, such as splitting the property or selling it, the decision was made to resettle a refugee family.

Cllr Michelle Lowe, cabinet member for housing, said: “We have agreed to bring our first Syrian refugee family to the district and I firmly believe this is a good outcome for everyone.

“We offered support to councils across Kent since the start of the government’s Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme, but with no housing of our own, and no properties coming forward from the private rented sector, we couldn’t make a commitment to house any refugees.

“We will be helping a refugee family escaping from a terrible situation.

“At the same time the district keeps a social rented home that otherwise could have been sold and would never be available through the housing register again.

“We have been overwhelmed with the generosity of local people contacting us to offer support.”

The council will work with Kent County Council and the Home Office to find a suitable family.

The property was used for emergency accommodation while the council and landlord tried to find a family who needed a home of that size.

The six-bedroom home, which