Payments to families hosting Ukrainians are ‘insufficient’

Payments made to British families who welcome Ukrainian refugees are “nowhere near enough” amid soaring energy bills and inflation, charities and hosts have said.

Volunteers who host Ukrainians who have fled the Russian invasion receive £350 a month per family as a “thank you”, as long as they don’t charge rent. But hosts have argued that this money from the Government does not go far enough as energy and food bills continue to rise. Some are also spending thousands of pounds preparing their homes to accommodate large families.

Jonathan Clive Blake, 65, is the archbishop of the Open Episcopal Church. In March he and his wife, Annette, 63, volunteered to host Ukrainian refugees. This week, after a month-long “bureaucratic nightmare” of forms and visa processing, a family of five arrived at their south London home.

Mr Blake estimated that he had spent at least £2,450 settling the family. He bought new beds and turned the top floor of the house into a bedroom for the mother, father and fouryear-old daughter.

Hosts must apply for the £350 payment at the end of every month. Mr Blake said: “It’s disingenuous to suggest this is a ‘ thank you’ payment when it’s obviously long-term support to cover costs,” he said.

He added that the Government should invest in a “set-up grant” for households who want to host Ukrainian refugees. His family’s energy bills have more than doubled since the refugees moved in, having already rocketed following the increase in the energy price cap in April.

Mr Blake said: “Our energy bill went from £20 a week to £45 a week. With the family living here it’s gone up to £90 a week. It’s a bit frightening.”

While the refugee family grapples with the process of securing jobs, school places and doctors’ appointments, Mr and Mrs Blake continue to provide financial support. Neither of the Ukrainian parents was able to continue working remotely for Kyiv-based companies although Mr Blake said the father had secured freelance work as a video editor in London.

“At the moment they are disorientated,” he said. “So we’ve provided everything and guided them towards the things they need to do to get set up. We’ve got two fridges, so we’ve given them one. They’ve started taking responsibility for the child’s meals but we still share an evening meal.”

Mr Blake said the Ukrainians he hosted were aware of the rising energy costs and were likely to contribute “in time, based on how much they use”. Ukrainian refugees are permitted to work in Britain and also receive £200 on arrival.

Between their full- time work and their portfolio of buy-to-lets, Mr and

Mrs Blake have a “secure” income, although they set rents below the market average and refuse to raise them as they do not want to “cripple” tenants.

But Mr Blake said families who were less stable would be shocked by the immediate cost of welcoming displaced refugees.

“We’re more secure than many families but it’s not as simple as it seems,” he said. “On paper we’ve got quite a lot of assets in our name but there’s a mortgage to be paid. The cash you have is constrained. A less secure family is going to realise too late that there are all these things you have to buy that they weren’t ready for.”

Stan Benes of Opora, a platform that offers emergency assistance to Ukrainians in Britain, said the “thank you” payment had been misnamed and the Government had issued “no clear guidance” to hosts about the intended purpose of the money.

“Many people were not prepared for what would be involved both practically and personally,” he said. “The £350 is a nice amount out of context, but if you consider the fact it should be used to offset extra costs it’s nowhere near enough.

“There are many ways this could have been approached – and none of it is bad in itself – but it’s just not been thought through.”

Helena Tubridy, 62, a fertility expert, is currently hosting a Ukrainian couple and their five-year- old at her home in County Meath, Ireland. She has also had to economise even though the Ukrainian couple, aged 31 and 32, are continuing to work remotely as hydroelectric engineers for Kyiv-based employers.

The Irish government offers €400 (£340) a month per property to hosts, while Ukrainian refugees receive a monthly payment. Ms Tubridy said: “We are treating it as a house share – we keep our food separate. We’ve always had to be careful. It’s all very manageable, but we’re definitely feeling the pinch.”

After two-and-a- half months the Ukrainian couple began to contribute a third of the household’s energy bills.

A spokesman for the British Government said: “We know there may be some small additional costs associated with helping out, which is why we offer an optional ‘ thank you’ payment of £ 350 a month for all those opening their homes.”