Lawyers and specialist housing advisers from homelessness charity Shelter and the Housing Law Practitioners Association are all working with North Kensington Law Centre to run free daily drop-in advice clinics. The organisations and volunteer lawyers have been working over the last number of days to help hundreds of people needing immediate legal assistance and holding residents' meetings to help victims learn more about their legal rights and how the centre can help.

Pledges of financial support

To date the centre has raised more than £20,000  - a figure it is hoping to increase to £100,000 to help victims receive access to justice and legal supportt. In addition, Centre Director, Victoria Vasey, said that the centre had written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd, asking her to waive the fees for victims whose vital documents had been destroyed or need to be replaced.

Request for ‘named person’ at UKVI

The letter read: ‘Given the situation, these survivors are unlikely to have any supporting documents or the financial resources to pay Home Office fees for replacement documents. I am therefore writing to you to seek assistance in co-ordinating their applications.' The centre is also urging the Home Secretary to ‘have a named person’ within UKVI to deal with the issue.

Government financial assistance

Over the weekend the government announced that every household whose home had been destroyed as a result of the fire would receive a guaranteed £5,500 minimum down payment, made up of £500 cash and £5,000 delivered through the Department of Work and Pensions. Prime Minister Theresa May has also pledged funding for legal representation for residents to ensure their ‘voices are heard’ during the future public inquiry into the tragedy.