The walls have been newly painted a bright white, and the floors are clean. But despite it being a grey cold winter’s day outside, all the windows in this two-bedroom flat in west London are wide open.
There is no visible mould, but Abdul’s family, including his pregnant wife Aisha, have been struggling with their breathing because of damp in the property ever since they moved in in October. They have opened the windows in a desperate bid to get some fresh air into the flat.
Their 11-year-old son’s asthma, which is usually controlled, has become much worse, says Abdul. When he struggled to breathe in one particular exacerbation a few weeks ago, Abdul rushed him to the emergency department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, scared that his son’s medication wasn’t enough to keep him well in their new living conditions.
A former Afghan special forces soldier who fought alongside the British, Abdul had dreamt of the day he would be able to bring his family to the UK, and was overjoyed when it finally came in August this year.
He had served with an elite Afghan unit known as Afghan Territorial Force 444 – one of two units set up and paid by the British to work alongside the best of the UK armed forces. In the chaos of the West’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, many of those who worked most closely with the UK were left behind, with dozens of allies killed, kidnapped or tortured by the Taliban.
While the Ministry of Defence (MoD) set up resettlement routes for those who had worked alongside the British, mistakes led to hundreds of applications for sanctuary from Afghans with credible links to special forces units being wrongly rejected.
The government has been undertaking a review of thousands of these applications after The Independent, along with Lighthouse Reports and Sky News, exposed how the applicants were being denied help. High Court judges found that defective decision-making had led to these Afghan commandos being abandoned.
Abdul had managed to escape Afghanistan in 2015, but his application to come to the UK was initially rejected in 2023 – despite his having risked his life to work alongside British troops.
He lived in Europe in fear of deportation, at times homeless, before he was finally granted sanctuary in the country he had served, in August this year, through the MoD’s resettlement scheme.
However, the move has meant coming face-to-face with the reality of trying to build a life in Britain with little support. Unlike some of his former colleagues, who are also here, Abdul can speak good English, but he is still struggling to navigate his new living situation.
There is little to do during the day, and he is unsure where he can turn to to find activities for his two boisterous sons, aged 11 and five. He is keen to work and to enrol his children in school, but he wants to do so only once they have a settled home. A friend of Abdul’s in the UK, Alex Isaac, a former paratrooper who fought alongside him, has being trying to help him build a new life in Britain, and calls him each night to provide companionship. He has offered him a job as a groundworks trainee in his construction company in Ipswich, but the family are unable to afford a deposit to start renting privately in the area.
Abdul said that his attempts to get help from the council and the Home Office with funding a deposit had been unsuccessful. After The Independent contacted the local council, they were able to start the process of helping Abdul and his family move to Ipswich. A Home Office source said that the council had also agreed to pay the deposit.
While Abdul said the family had received little support from their council support worker since they moved into the property in Fulham, a spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said the family had been offered help with furniture and household goods, financial support, school places for the children, and GP and maternity services.
The council said that Abdul had twice refused to allow the private landlord’s contractors to carry out repairs, but Abdul said that they only wanted to make temporary fixes that would not have solved the problems.
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson added: “We have a long and proud history of going above and beyond to support refugees, helping more than 120 Afghan refugees into new homes and securing school places this year along.
“Abdul has asked for a move to Ipswich, and we’re working with the Home Office and the family to assist.”
Local authorities are able to claim £24,110 per Afghan from the government over three years to provide “integration support”. Further money to support children into education can also be claimed by the council, with payments of up to £5,130 per child aged five to 18. Local healthcare providers are also able to claim government money to support Afghan refugees.
The flat the local council has found for the family is sparse, with just a bed for Abdul and his wife, bunk beds for their children, a table and a sofa, and they have few belongings to make the place feel like home. The government, through Abdul’s housing benefit, is paying the landlord £1,850 a month for the property, he explained.
The family are not using the washing machine because they say mould in the machine makes their clothes smell, so instead, Abdul’s wife Aisha is washing their clothes by hand. While they are able to use the fridge, the sealant around the door is mouldy and cracked.
The toilet sink is also leaking, and the bathroom often smells, Abdul explained. The sons have at times refused to sleep in their bunk beds because they spotted cockroaches in the room, and the carpet corners come up easily, creating a worrying trip hazard.
Because their breathing is exacerbated by being inside, the family often spend hours sitting in the nearby small park or wandering around the local shopping centre.
Aisha, who is pregnant, has been struggling with her breathing as well. A support letter from the local community midwife details her concerns about the family’s living conditions.
“The property has leaks, damp, concerning stains, and an insect infestation,” the letter said. “[Abdul] showed me some concerning photos during a midwifery appointment, including multiple insect bites on the two children, aged 11 and five years old.”
It continued: “I ask their case is urgently prioritised for the wellbeing of the whole family ... It is imperative that the family be provided with alternative suitable housing that accommodates their needs and promotes a safe and healthy environment for the parents, young children, and a newborn baby.”
Abdul said: “We are not asking for luxury housing. I would rather be able to support myself. I already found an Ipswich property, where the rent is hundreds less. We would be saving the government money if we can move there. No one should pay this amount for this property, because it is not suitable.
“My son had asthma before, but not like this. [Since] we came into this property, he is always using the emergency inhaler. We are using both of the inhalers all the time.
“My wife is also now struggling with her breathing, and she is pregnant. The kids are scared to sleep in their room because there were cockroaches in their room. They are waking up in the night because they are scared, and they have no desk or space to do any homework. There is the smell in the flat, also.”
He continued: “I am so stressed, me and my wife. I don’t know what to do with this situation.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This government is determined to fulfil our nation’s commitment to the brave Afghans who supported the United Kingdom’s mission in Afghanistan.
“Any concerns about accommodation should be reported to the local authority. We work closely with them to ensure every family receives the support they need.”
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