Gloucestershire care home to house people granted asylum in UK

An underused care home in Gloucestershire will temporarily house people who have been granted asylum in the UK.

Wheatridge Court in Abbeydale, Gloucester, is being prepared to welcome those who have had their asylum application granted by the Government.

The 36-unit care home, run by Gloucestershire County Council, has been mostly unoccupied in recent months.

As of October 2023, just one person has been living there.

Those living at the home will have a legal right to live and work in the UK, having had to flee conflict or persecution in their own country.

Gloucestershire County Council has said it will likely be a mix of families, single men and women staying in the site's 30 rooms and two bungalows.

The first people are expected to arrive in early 2024 and the council intends to use the site for this purpose throughout the year.

Nearby residents have been informed of plans to re-open Wheatridge Court and the council has said it will keep the plans under review.

A council letter reads: “Once people have had their asylum claim approved, they must leave the hotel accommodation the Home Office had been providing them.

“As they are generally only given one week’s notice to leave the hotel they do not have enough time to make longer-term plans such as securing employment and more permanent accommodation.

“Wheatridge Court will give them the time to sort their future plans before they move on.

"As part of processing their asylum claim, each person has already been subject to interviews and checks by the Home Office.

“We are currently looking to secure a provider to help us manage the buildings and provide support to those staying at Wheatridge Court.”

A council spokesperson added: “The short-term supported accommodation that will be provided at Wheatridge Court will help those that have been given the legal right to live and work in the UK to move on, find work, their own accommodation and make other arrangements as they continue to rebuild their lives.”

Credit: Carmelo Garcia, LDRS