CONCERNS are growing over the number of Afghan refugees forced to live in “unsuitable” temporary accommodation before they can be rehoused in Scotland.

Hundreds of people, including those with young children, are under severe stress as they endure lengthy waits, according to one charity working with the refugees.

The lack of facilities is causing even greater distress at the moment because of Ramadan, the Glasgow Afghan United (GAU) charity says.

President Abdul Bostani, who is also chair of the Scottish Unity League, said people needed access to culturally appropriate foods to support their fast as well as support to be able to carry out all the religious practices that mark Ramadan.

He said some people the charity was supporting had been in hotels for a long time as they waited to be rehoused. There are currently six bridging hotels in Scotland – one in Fife, three in Aberdeen City and two in Edinburgh.

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“The hotels used for this accommodation are not the kind of hotels where you stay for a long time in comfort, they are budget accommodation for short breaks,” said Bostani.

“To stay there for a long time is not comfortable and not suitable for family groups in particular. There is no privacy and the facilities are very limited. It is hard particularly for those with young children who need space to play and make noise. They don’t have this chance in a hotel and it places unnecessary stress on the families.”

He said there had also been issues with access to laundry facilities and problems with the provision of food, particularly for children.

“They come home hungry from school because they don’t like the food there – it is something they don’t know and are not used to.

“But the parents are not able to prepare some Afghan food for them because they don’t have access to kitchen facilities, so we have been working on this and other issues to do the best we can for people while they are there.”

GAU is currently recruiting for new staff to help support the refugees.

Edinburgh City Council said 157 people were staying in their two Afghan bridging hotels, comprising 27 family groups. A further nine families had been rehoused and properties had been identified for a further six families which await formal matching from the Home Office.

“We are currently processing identification and matching of potential homes for an additional 10 families, who have all indicated they wish to be resettled to Edinburgh if possible,” said a spokesperson.

She added that it should be noted that the Home Office was continuing to place newly arrived Afghan families in the hotels, meaning that although some people have moved out, others have arrived.

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“For as long as people stay in the bridging hotels, council staff will work on site with them and hotel management to promote the welfare of all residents. We will work with the Home Office as well as statutory and third sector partners and local communities to ensure they receive the necessary support whilst living in the capital,” the spokesperson said.

Fife Council service manager Gavin Smith said the council was committed to finding permanent homes for up to 10 families.

“Unfortunately, there have been no permanent placements through the Home Office’s housing approach at this stage,” he said. “We are providing the best support possible to families in bridging accommodation, working with The Home Office, Cosla and other councils to make sure they have access to all the services they need.

“This wrap around support service has been in place since the first families arrived in September last year.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “All 32 local authorities have confirmed their commitment to participate in Afghanistan Relocation and Resettlement. As at March 22, 108 families (just over 420 individuals) relocated to 20 Scottish local authorities.

“Refugee resettlement and relocation are UK Government schemes and the Home Office is responsible for sourcing hotels to accommodate people.

“The Scottish Government is clear that our preference would be for people to move into housing as soon as possible. However, we recognise that the speed and scale of evacuation require the use of other forms of accommodation.

“Local authorities are working to ensure anyone accommodated in a hotel will have the support and services they need.

“We continue to engage with the UK Government to ensure that property offers already made by local authorities can be matched with Afghan families as soon as possible.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has made one of the largest commitments to resettlement of any country. Our scheme will provide up to 20,000 Afghan women, children and other at risk groups with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. We are working as fast as possible to house everyone and are in the process of moving over 6000 Afghan evacuees into homes.”

Aberdeen City Council had not provided figures on the number of refugees being housed in bridging hotels by the time we went to press.