5 July 2017 Issue No: 11 Grenfell Fire Response News Housing assessments We have committed to ensuring that by 5 July everyone from Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk made homeless by the fire will have received an offer of accommodation. Of the 158 families and individuals we are working with, 139 families have received offers and 19 assessments are still on-going. Accepting a new temporary home isn’t a decision to be rushed and housing officers will talk people through the options - nobody will be forced into a property that isn’t suitable to their needs. We are making every effort to ensure people have the right support around them and we want to provide everyone affected by the fire with the following reassurances. • Everyone whose home was destroyed in the fire will be offered a temporary home in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea or a neighbouring borough. • Accepting an offer of temporary accommodation will in no way affect your rights to permanent social housing or your benefits. • No one will be made intentionally homeless. We will make sure that the temporary home offered is right for each individual or family. Anyone who needs help and has yet to come forward should do so by calling 0800 458 9472 or by visiting the Westway Sports & Fitness Centre between 10am and 8pm at 1 Crowthorne Road, W10 6RP. More information is available from the housing line on 020 7361 3008. — — — — — — — __ — — — _ — n | No action against anyone sub-letting homes j | Any tenants of Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk who were sub-letting i their home have been asked to come forward and provide information on who might have been in their flats on the night of the fire. This will help the authorities understand who was in the building and identify anyone still missing. The Government has confirmed that anyone who ■ was unlawfully sub-letting their home will not be charged or prosecuted. . Anyone with information should call 0800 032 4539. The Home Office will not carry out immigration checks on those coming | forward to provide information. | IN THIS EDITION 1 Housing assessments 1 Sub-letting homes 1 Health update 2 Important contacts 2 What help is on offer? 3 New leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council 3 Public meeting with Grenfell response team 3 New website 3 Westway assistance 4 What is a key worker? 4 Frequently asked questions 4 NHS support line 4 Support in the community 4 DVLA What is this newsletter for? This is the eleventh edition of the Grenfell Fire Response Team newsletter. We want to keep you up to date with all the latest information and services available to help. The newsletter is also available in Arabic and Farsi languages. For up to the minute info, please follow us on Twitter @grenfellsupport and on Facebook at facebook.com/ grenfellsupport or visit www.gov.uk L — — -I Grenfell Fire Response News 5 July 2017 Health update Public Health England (PHE) is providing specialist advice on health following the Grenfell Tower fire. This includes health advice on air quality, water quality and the handling of any waste materials and debris. Air quality PHE is constantly monitoring air quality and the latest readings show the air pollution level near the site continues to be low. Water quality Drinking water quality has not been impacted by the fire and tap water is safe to drink and use as normal. Waste materials and debris If you have waste material or debris from the fire at your property, please contact the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council on 020 7361 3001 to make arrangements for them to collect it. Air purifiers Air purifiers, which are generally used to reduce allergens from pets from the air, are not recommended for use in this situation because larger particles produced during the fire will have already settled and will not be present in the air. Larger dust particles settle quickly onto surfaces and are best removed with a damp cloth. More advice from Public Health England can be found on their website atwww.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england r — — — — — — — — — — — — — - 1 Public meeting with Grenfell I l Response team I . Anyone who has been affected by the Grenfell Tower fire is invited to , 1 attend a Community Public Meeting at Al Manaar, the Muslim Cultural | Heritage Centre on Acklam Road on Wednesday 5 July from 6pm to | 7.30pm. 1 This will be the first of four public meetings aimed at providing an 1 | opportunity for residents to receive updates from the Grenfell Fire | Response Team, who will be available to answer any questions and offer I advice on the support services available. | The session will also be a chance for those affected by the fire and | residents from the surrounding community to gather and reflect on the | tragedy. Representatives from a range of agencies will be on hand to provide support and guidance. The meeting will be led by the London Resilience Group with additional meetings scheduled to take place on consecutive Wednesday evenings | over the coming weeks. The full address of the meeting venue is Al Manaar, the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, 244 Acklam Road, W10 5YG. L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ J r — — — — — — — — — — — — — -I I What help is I | on offer? | Any family and friends concerned about their loved ones are asked to contact the i Metropolitan Police on 0800 | i 032 4539. i Other important contacts i Bereavement support: Call ■ 1 the Freephone helpline on 0808 1 8081677 or email helpline® cruse.org.uk. The line is open i 24 hours a day. | 1 Replacement UK passports, 1 visas or immigration queries Call our advice line on 0300 222 i 0000. The line is open 24 hours. | Air quality and smoke exposure: If you have concerns about any symptoms, please see i your doctor or call NHS 111. i NHS Mental health support: Call 0800 0234 650 or email i cnw-tr.spa@nhs.net for mental , i health support. The line is open i i 24 hours a day. i Victim support: Call 0808 i 1689 111 for practical and | i emotional support, i i or visit victimsupport.org.uk. ■ 1 The line is open 24 hours a day. 1 i Further support is available at ■ the Assistance Centre, Westway Sports & Fitness Centre, Crowthorne Road, W10 6RP, i open from 10am to 8pm. | You can also call the Red Cross for 24 hour support on 0800 458 9472. 1 For regular updates please 1 follow us on Twitter at @grenfellsupport and on i Facebook at facebook.com/ , i grenfellsupport, or visit www. i i gov.uk i Grenfell Fire Response News 5 July 2017 New leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council Kensington and Chelsea Council has appointed a new leader in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy. Councillor Elizabeth Campbell has used her first public statement to say she is “truly sorry” to local people. She also pledged to “heal the wounds” in the community. Ms Campbell said: “The first thing I want to do is I want to apologise. This is our community and we have failed it when people needed us the most. “So, no buts, no ifs, no excuses -1 am truly sorry. ” The UK Government explains the need for a public inquiry into the Grenfell fire Lord Chancellor David Lidington said: “The public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster has understandably been the subject of much commentary. People have every right to feel passionate about this. The community - and the whole country -want answers following such a horrific tragedy. “That is why it is right that there should be a judge-led inquiry into the disaster, and that the residents are consulted before the terms of reference are decided. Our judiciary is respected the world over as fair, free from improper influence, and truly independent from government and Parliament. /As Lord Chancellor, I am clear that their motives and integrity should always be respected and not impugned by politicians. I have complete confidence that Sir Martin Moore- Bick will lead the inquiry into this tragedy with impartiality and with a determination to get to the truth and see justice done. ” r — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -i ! New information website and copies ! | of the community newsletter j A new website has been created bringing together in one place all the key information available to support those affected by the Grenfell i fire. Grenfellresponse.org.uk provides content on issues such as | i housing, health, financial assistance and childcare support. i The online hub also includes a list of key contacts to get help and i support as well as a map of the area showing the Westway Assistance | i Centre and details of local transport. The site also contains an archive i 1 of all the community newsletters that have already been sent out, as 1 well as translations in Arabic and Farsi. L — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — J Westway assistance centre The Westway assistance centre remains the place to go if you have been affected by the Grenfell Tower fire and are looking for specialist advice and support. Dedicated staff from the Red Cross are on hand at the centre to provide expert support on housing, accommodation and transport and can give help and guidance on a range of services. Yesterday there were over 50 enquiries at the centre, with six newly registered residents receiving guidance and advice on the support services available, which can be on anything from health to housing. To date, the Westway Assistance Centre has registered over 1400 people, and yesterday provided advice to an average of nine people an hour. For practical or emotional support, please call the Red Cross helpline on 0800 458 9472. The line is currently open 24 hours a day but we are looking at reviewing these hours. If you have any feedback, please email support@ grenfellresponse.org You can still get clothing and supplies from the donations that are being held at the Westway Centre. If you need help getting to or from the centre, speak to your keyworker. The address is Westway Sports & Fitness Centre, 1 Crowthorne Road, W10 6RP. Grenfell Fire Response News 5 July 2017 What is a key worker? There are 236 Key Workers providing practical and emotional support. This ranges from help to obtain documents such as passports and driving licences, through to psychological support, as well as housing, education and health assistance. Key workers also provide support in the following areas: • Transporting children from hotels to schools. • Giving people an idea as to when they will be rehoused as not knowing this can cause unnecessary stress. • Replacing key health related items such as new braces, walking sticks and glasses. • Replacing laptops and mobile phones • They also support bereaved relatives to attend funerals. To make a request for a Key Worker, please contact keyworkers@ westminster.gov.uk The NHS support line If someone feels they need support before or after seeing a GP, they can call the ‘Single Point of Access’ line which is open 24 hours a day on 0800 0234 650. The team is there to help as quickly as they can - they will answer the call in under a minute and if anyone requests a call back, they will call you back within 30 minutes. Support in the community There is also a team working in the community to provide physical and mental health support, who can help with walk- in appointments at the Westway Sports & Fitness Centre, or visiting someone in a more suitable location. You can find out more by calling 07712 231 133. Frequently asked questions How long will the Westway assistance centre be open? The Westway assistance centre will remain open for the foreseeable future. We’re speaking to people who’ve been directly affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower to find out what support they need, when they need it and where the best place is for them to access it. We will then decide how to deliver the services and support needed. Are people been forced out of the borough, or being made intentionally homeless? No one is being forced to move out of London, or being threatened with being made homeless. We’re working to find the right accommodation for those affected residents, either in Kensington and Chelsea or neighbouring boroughs. Will victims have to pay for outstanding utility bills? The Government and utility companies have announced a package of support for Grenfell victims across energy, water and telecommunications. This includes suppliers agreeing to write off outstanding utility bills for victims of the fire, and the support comes on top of the £5 million fund to pay for emergency supplies, food, clothes and other costs. Further details can be found here: https://goo.gl/yhcniU How can people find their post? Grenfell Tower’s post is being held at Royal Mail’s West London Delivery Centre, Unit 20-23, 7 Premier Park Road, London NW10 7NZ (Open from 8am to 2pm Mon to Sat, 9am to 1 pm on Sun). There will also be a collection location at Westway Sports & Fitness Centre car park. No ID is required for collection. A free Royal Mail Redirection service is available to those affected for a period of one year. For more information on these services call 01752 387055. Where should people call with information about missing people? If anyone needs to report a missing person or report information, please use the new incident room number at 0800 032 4539. I’ve lost my passport in the fire and don’t know what to do? If your passport, British Residence Permits, nationality, birth and marriage certificates or visas have been destroyed as a result of the Grenfell Tower Fire, then help is still available to you. You can meet with an advisor at the Westway Sports & Fitness Centre, Crowthorne Road, W10 6RP or call the 24 hour advice line on 0300 222 0000 to arrange for a call back by a member of the visa and passport team. Will my eligibility for benefits be affected if I receive the £5,500? The Department for Work and Pensions have said that your income-related benefits won’t be affected by payments from the fund. Other benefits, such as Personal Independence Payments, won’t be affected either and any payments from the emergency fund will not be taxed. For all other contacts, please consult our leaflet. DVLA info For replacement driving licences, registration certificates and all other enquiries please telephone: 03000830103 - 0800-1700 mon-fri, 0800-1400 sat-Sun.