Barracks used for housing asylum seekers closes
According to the Home Office, an army barracks in Kent that has been used to house asylum seekers has closed down. In 2020, Napier Barracks in Folkestone, a former military base, opened as a destination for migrants. It was chastised for poor living conditions, particularly during the pandemic epidemic, when Covid was on the rise. On Friday, the site was closed and will be turned over to a property developer for housing.
The Home Office said it planned to completely vacate the site by the end of the month to give it back to the Ministry of Defense by the month's end, ahead of a transfer to a housing developer that bought the property in March. It said it did not comment on particular asylum accommodation providers or on operational arrangements around those locations. However, it was announced that the government would close every asylum hotel. The government had earlier revealed that discussion had begun in Crowborough, East Sussex, and Inverness, Scotland, to hold about 900 male asylum seekers in total. At its peak, Napier Barracks held more than 300 asylum seekers, but it was estimated that there were fewer than 100 people before its closing. Following numerous inspections since February 2021, the 130-year-old military base was struck by theallegations of poor conditions. Care4Calais, a charitable group based in the United Kingdom, said it had successfully completed its final clothing collection at the barracks on Sunday. We were never allowed indoors,
a spokesperson said, so we worked outside in all weathers. "It was not how we wanted to work, but our volunteers did it with care, dignity, and determination.
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