Camden pupils in hostels successfully ask council for wifi

Youngsters living in hostels in London without wifi, who say they are falling behind in their school work, have successfully asked a council to provide it in their temporary accommodation.

Shamme, 13, is struggling to complete her work and falling behind, her sister Habiba Sabi, 19, told the BBC.

Shamme is part of a group of youngsters who have successfully asked Camden Council to provide wifi in hostels.

"Thank you for pushing us," Camden Council leader Georgia Gould told them.

One in 23 children in London now live in temporary accommodation - the equivalent of about one child in every classroom.

Ms Sabi says she had to repeat a year at college in 2021 after she was unable to complete her own school work.

She said of her younger sister's situation: "I now work full-time at a restaurant chain, and pay for my own phone bill, which I lend to my sister.

"But I get home from work at 11pm and she has to sleep, it's too late for her and her homework gets missed.

"I really don't want the same thing to happen to her as me."

The family, which has lived in a hostel since 2020 when the ceiling of their rental property collapsed, benefitted from six months of wifi from charity Doorstep, funded by BBC Children in Need, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Shamme is part of a group of five youngsters in temporary accommodation that came together with the same charity to ask Camden Council to provide wifi in their hostels, as well as schools and libraries.

Layan, aged 16, told councillors: "When we move from hostels we have to pay a lot to move contracts.

"The cost of internet is too expensive and means many families cannot afford to put it in their rooms."

Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said the authority would now pay for wifi in the borough's three hostels and look at those in more temporary settings, such as hotels.

"As a result of your campaign you have really made a difference. Thank you for pushing us," Ms Gould said.

Doorstep children's worker Sarah Lough told councillors: "Families in temporary accommodation are left wondering if there is any point having a contract for 12 or 18 months if you're not expecting to live there that long."

Ubah Egal from Doorstep added: "We have parents who are unable to get into work because they still haven't got connectivity, we have people getting sanctioned because they don't have  wifi or their data's run out."

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