Author: Jane Williams

So it turns out that making a noise works!

Our Rights Experience Advocacy Change group (REACH) team made up of mums who are experiencing the issues we are speaking up on – has been campaigning to stop children being housed without a kitchen for around a year now….

There are two main types of family this affects:

1. those housed by the home office in hotels that have not cooking or food storge facilities and are pre-catered.

2. those who are housed by the local authority in hotels with no cooking facilities who have to rely on takeaways and pre-packaged food for every meal.

In the past year or so we have had monthly meetings hosted by the Public Health team to tackle issues at home office hotels around food quality, alternative sources of meals, etc. The Public Health Team have done great work on the guidelines for hotel meals, toddler meals in hotels, and have already enforced a change of caterer in one of the hotels in Newham due to failing food hygiene inspections.

We have also met regularly with housing on the issue of families that they have placed in hotels under emergency provision – some for longer than the six week legal limit without kitchens. There we have seen extraordinary change. Last week they reported that:

Newham Council have reduced hotel/B&B placements by 80% on past year.

76 families in hotel/B&B down from 337 beginning of August 2023.

Newham also used HSF funds to support community warm spaces and kitchens, as well as giving some vouchers for families in hotels placed by them at Christmas.

Newham Council have reduced hotel/B&B placements by 80% on past year.

76 families in hotel/B&B down from 337 beginning of August 2023.

Changing the practice of the Home Office will be hard, but we are also part of a task and finish group bringing together other interested parties including Sustain the food charity and other charity partners hosted by the great anti-child poverty group 4 in 10.

We have had public support from the Mayor of Newham and our local MP Stephen Timms. Deputy London Mayors – Tom Copley (Housing) and Joanna McCartney (families and children) have visited and offered support.

Our three goals are:

1. immediate relief locally for families – we are well on the way,
2. no child in hotel for longer than the legal limit of six weeks (and wouldn’t it be amazing if the legal limit also applied to home office accommodation!),
3. no children without ktchens at all.

We are new to this change work, so if you can help – please get in touch.

Join us! Let’s get this done!

Mama R lets us know how difficult the holy month of Ramadan was to live through while being accommodated in a hotel without cooking facilities.

Mama R found herself and her family in a hotel in Romford during the holy month last year. Fasting from dawn to dusk, obviously means preparing and eating meals at times which are not convenient for restaurants or shops. The family were not allowed to store any food in their hotel room at all. This created an impossible situation.

Please understand that nothing has changed since last year – so many of our beautiful Muslim families will be facing this exact set of circumstances for the next month.

Others, living in home office provided contingency hotels will not be offered a hot IFTAR meal all month, instead they will have sandwiches left for them to eat at the time of breaking their fast.

We believe that everyone has a human right to be able to undertake their religious observance unhindered. For hundreds this holy month – their housing or home office accommodatio will make it impossible.

‘The thing I suffered most from was the difficulty of finding restaurants for halal food.’

Mama R

As there is no way for our families, to cook or store food in their hotel rooms. Each meal must be bought pre-prepared outside on the day. The financi8al expense incurred can reach an additional £200 a week, but on top of that – for our muslim families placed in areas without a significant Muslim population – that means that culturally and religiously appropriate pre-prepared or takeaway food is hard to come by.

‘The hotel was in the Romford area. Restaurants closed early and breaking our fast during Ramadan was late.

It was forbidden to take food to the rooms.

Mama R.

This meant that the whole family, including small children had to leave their ‘home’ to eat each meal.

. We had to eat outside’ she says.

‘We would go out to Tesco. As that was the only store that is open [at that time of night] to buy cheese and toast, and this is how we break our fast after a long day of fasting.

Mama R.

‘At that time, I was breastfeeding my child. I needed a lot of vitamins and protein. This is what I would have gotten if I were at home and cooking during Ramadan.

It was a very difficult experience. I feel sad when I remember it.’

Mama R.

To make sure that families won’t have to face another Ramadan like this – please sign and share our petition to make sure no children are housed without a kitchen. Just clicking below.