Grenfell survivors struggle to settle in new council homes
A FIFTH OF HOUSEHOLDS HAVE ASKED TO MOVE AGAIN SINCE THE TRAGEDY IN 2017
The harrowing impact of the Grenfell Tower tragedy...upon survivors and the bereaved will never fully heal.
SURVIVORS of the Grenfell Tower fire say they have been left “in the dark” as they struggle to settle into new council homes.
Some of those who escaped the blaze in 2017, and those who lost relatives or were made homeless, say a lack of clear guidance from Kensington and Chelsea Council has caused “anxiety and confusion”.
A report by council officers revealed the authority failed to give solid advice to former residents of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk about their options.
More than 40 out of 201 households have asked to move again since the tragedy for various reasons, including the type of home they are living in, relationship breakdowns and mental health struggles.
The report says: “While many households are happy in their new homes, some households have subsequently found that they now cannot settle.
“For these families, their homes
now feel like a barrier to recovery. The harrowing impact of the Grenfell Tower tragedy of June 14 2017 upon survivors and the bereaved will never fully heal.”
The council is working on a new policy to give better advice to survivors, bereaved families and former Grenfell residents so they can find more suitable homes. Its previous guidance did not consider some households might struggle to adapt to new properties and may wish to move again.
They lacked clear advice on support they would be entitled to if they moved again, such as capped rent fees and council tax reductions.
The report says: “This has resulted in residents, unable to settle and recover in their current homes, feeling uncertain and anxious about how the council will support their requests to move. The absence of clear, published process through which residents might transfer to an alternative home has had detrimental repercussions.
“Some residents have encountered an inconsistent and confusing process and reported feeling in the dark. Residents felt that they have had to plead to be prioritised for an alternative home. This risks undermining already fragile trust in the council.”
The council’s housing committee discussed the issues at a meeting on Monday January 31.
Deputy leader Kim Taylor-Smith said the council has moved 197 families into permanent homes while four were living in temporary accommodation.
He said in the days after the tragedy some families wanted to move away from the tower but then changed their minds.
Mr Taylor-Smith added: “In the early days, people said ‘I want to be in the south of the borough’. Over time, they want to go back to their communities.”
Labour councillor Emma Dent Coad said: “The homes may or may not be particularly nice and it isn’t a ‘neighbourhood’. People used to
closeknit neighbourhoods find that very different .”
“Our opinion should be pretty much subordinate to theirs. We should listen to them.”
The report said the council was committed to finding the bereaved and survivors permanent homes but this is limited by the number of available properties and it does not have enough money to buy a new set of homes.
It adds: “We do not have many large properties that become available. While we are taking steps to increase housing supply in every possible way, it is vital we are open and transparent about the difficulties involved as this does have an impact on people’s rehousing experience.”
The council’s leaders will make a final decision on the new policy at a meeting on Wednesday February 9.