Grenfell Tower Support Team Update 1

I thought you may be interested in the Grenfell Tower Support team Update below:

London Fire Brigade Update

It’s anticipated that London Fire Brigade will be removing its resources from the cordon from Monday morning but remain available to assist as necessary.

 

Transport Update

From 26th June, TFL will be operating a free shuttle bus service between the  Community Assistance Centre, at the Westway Sports Centre, and the hotels where large numbers of families have been temporarily housed. Timetables for the bus routes will be available at your hotel if it is one of those included.

There has also been extensive travel assistance offered by both the rail and air sectors.

 

Grenfell residents found new hotels

The Holiday Inn Gloucester Road was unable to continue accommodating 30 households due to previous bookings at the hotel. Residents were made aware of this with a couple of hours notice and asked to leave by Kensington and Chelsea Council by 4pm on Friday 23 June.

Those leaving the Holiday Inn have been offered alternative hotels in central London.

Staff are continuing to work with residents and other hotels to secure accommodation for as long as necessary.

 

Over 160 keyworkers drafted in to help Grenfell victims

Every Grenfell Tower resident has been allocated a key worker to provide wrap around care. 167 key workers are supporting people affected. The keyworkers provide Support and advice including;

  • Housing
  • Finance
  • Counselling
  • Schooling
  • Bereavement support

 

Housing update
Housing numbers across Grenfell Tower, Grenfell Walk and the cordon area are as follows:

  • There are 373 households in emergency accommodation.
  • 162 keyworkers are supporting people affected.
  • There have been 79 additional high-vis workers, including 38 British Red Cross in the centre and undertaking community liaison.
  • We have offered emergency hotel accommodation in the local area to everyone who needs it.

Work is now taking place to assess the housing needs of all Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk families to identify longer-term temporary accommodation in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and neighbouring boroughs. The accommodation that residents accept now are temporary. Residents can choose to make this location their permanent home or move to permanent locations when they are ready.

  • 153 housing needs assessments have been completed so far.
  • 68 new build flats as part of the Kensington Road development in the borough will be provided to re-house residents from Grenfell Tower. These will be ready by the end July 2017.

 

Financial assistance update

  • As of 9am on 24th June, £1,232,040 has been distributed to affected families.
  • This is made up of a £500 cash payments and £5,000 delivered through DWP into bank accounts or similar in a single payment, along with discretionary payments made by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
  • 100 households have been given the £5,000 payments so far.

 

New charitable grants

  • Every family who lost someone in the Grenfell fire is to receive £20,000, those seriously injured will receive up to £10,000 and there will be a further £10,000 ‘fresh start’ grant to every family who has been made homeless. These charitable funds have been made available, with more to follow, after a joint approach was agreed to consolidate some of the funds raised for the victims of the tragedy.
  • Three of the major funds for the people affected by the Grenfell fire – the British Red Cross, K&C Foundation and the London Community Foundation.

 

Met Police official statement

  • As of as of 8am 23 June, 79 people are either dead or missing and we must presume them dead following the fire at Grenfell Tower.
  • Of those 79 five have people have been formally identified.
  • Over 600 emergency calls were received on the night of the fire.
  • The Metropolitan Police says no extra people have been reported missing after Grenfell Tower fire but it’s concerned it does not have “the full picture”
  • The Police have confirmed the fire was started by a faulty ‘Hotpoint’ fridge.
  • They have also found that insulation that was tested after the fire, failed fire safety tests and are considering manslaughter charges. For the full statement click here.

 

Outer cordon

The outer Police cordon came down on 23 June. This was managed by the Metropolitan Police and the KCTMO. We understand that the area within the outer cordon site needs cleansing. This was a secure site and street cleaners and rubbish collection has been limited. We put in cleaning resources on 23 June but will continue to clean the area on Sunday 25 June.

 

Boilers

The hot water boiler which serves Grenfell Tower and surrounding properties was located under the Tower and completely destroyed by the fire

The boiler provided hot water and heating to local properties. Work has commenced on fitting a new temporary boiler over the weekend. We are working hard to get hot water running within the next 10 days. We are offering any residents affected hotel accommodation until  we can fix this.

 

Utility companies

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.

 

Air quality

Public Health England (PHE) has been providing specialist advice on health following the Grenfell Tower fire. This includes health advice on air quality, smoke exposure, asbestos, and the clean-up process

Three new air quality monitors have been installed in the immediate area of Grenfell Tower on Saturday by an independent environment company. We will continue to closely monitor all relevant readings to ensure the best advice is given.

They are continuing to carry out air quality tests in the area and advise on air quality, smoke exposure and asbestos and other potential risks. Air quality monitoring over the weekend around Grenfell Tower has shown the air pollution level to be low.

Meanwhile pollen levels in London continue to be high and are forecast to remain at high levels. PHE has advised that this may, as it would have done before the fire, cause some people to have symptoms such as irritated nose and throat. However PHE added that there is a very low risk to people’s health as a result of the fire, beyond those directly affected.

More information on air quality from Public Health England can be found on their website at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england

 

Community Engagement

There is now a single point of contact for voluntary and community sector organisations that wish to discuss community engagement issues and concerns. The dedicated email address for the Community Engagement team is now live and please do forward it on to all relevant contacts, including those that may like to sign up to the regular email bulletin: Communityengagement@grenfellresponse.org

 

Student coursework support

The Joint Council for Qualifications has agreed to lower the threshold for coursework completion. This will allow pupils who may have missed exams or another part of their qualification to get a grade if they sat 25% or more of their course.

 

Further support

Every household whose home has been destroyed as a result of the fire will receive a guaranteed £5,500 initial emergency payment from the discretionary fund. This will be made up of a £500 cash payment and £5,000 delivered through DWP into bank accounts or similar in a single payment.

British Red Cross is coordinating and providing assistance. British Red Cross personnel and volunteers have been on site 24 hours a day since early Wednesday.  They are undertaking outreach work to find people who need help and we have also asked them to be at airports to meet grieving relatives as they arrive. They can also help distribute donations that have poured in from the public.

A British Red Cross helpline is in action to help give practical or emotional support to anyone who needs it and capacity of this is being expanded to give people a central point of contact. The number is 0800 458 9472.

 

Frequently asked questions

 

Are people in emergency housing being put in tower blocks?
No. People are being temporarily housed in hotel accommodation in or close to the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.Are people living in parks?
We are not aware of anybody living in parks and there is no need for people to be living in parks if that is the case we would urge people to come to the Westway Sports Centre so we can help with their housing needs.

Are people been forced out of the borough, or being made intentionally homeless?
This is simply not true. 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.

Are people affected by the fire being asked for ID at the assessment centre?
People affected by the fire were issued letters informing them of the process to access funding and we have asked them to show this letter as some people may have had their IDs destroyed in the fire. This is to ensure those who need support get it. They should not be asked for their ID.

Concerns about cyanide released in the air from the fire?
Public Health England air quality tests over the past week following the Grenfell Tower fire shows no detectable deterioration in air quality. They have advised that smoke from any fire is toxic and can contain a range of chemicals such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, irritant gases such as hydrogen chloride.  The amounts of toxic products will vary with the materials involved in a fire, its temperature and the amount of oxygen. The latest PHE advice on the fire is available here.

Undocumented migrants – What will happen to anyone who isn’t documented but lived in the tower?
We will not use this tragic incident as a reason to carry out immigration checks on those involved and those providing vital information to identify victims.  We will also make sure that all victims, irrespective of their immigration status, will be able to access the services they need, including accommodation and healthcare.

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.

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 – 2pm Mon to Sat). There will also be a collection location at Westway Sports 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?
We are now in a transition from the casualty bureau to our incident room – if anyone needs to report a missing person or report information please use the new incident room number – 0800 032 4539.

Media enquiries – Grenfell Fire Response Team 24 hour media centre on
020 7641 3677/3678/3679 or email grenfellcomms@westminster.gov.uk. For all other contacts, please consult our leaflet. 

 

About the Grenfell Fire Response Team

The Grenfell Fire Response Team has been set up to support residents affected by the fire. The team includes London-wide local and regional government, central government, British Red Cross, Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade and many different local and national voluntary groups.

The Grenfell Fire Response Team is being led by John Barradell, OBE, Chief Executive of Corporation of London, and a Gold Command Centre has been set up to manage the response.

We are working hard to put in place support and services for those affected by the fire. This leaflet has been distributed in the area around Grenfell Tower to signpost information about the support available and a newsletter is regularly being produced.

The purpose of this update is to provide you with our latest information on the response. You will now receive regular updates in this way. Please feel free to pass this on to other people who may find it useful.

Follow us on Twitter @grenfellsupport and on Facebook at facebook.com/grenfellsupport
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