Hundreds of Ukrainian families in UK left homeless

AT LEAST 660 Ukrainian families have been left homeless in England after arriving on visas designed to secure them a place to live after fleeing the Russian invasion, official figures show.

Since the end of February, at least 480 families with children and 180 single adults have applied to councils for help with homelessness.

They were left with nowhere to live after the relationship or arrangement with their UK hosts broke down, or the British home was judged unsuitable.

Two thirds of those made homeless were on the Government’s family scheme, where they had a relative in the UK, with the remainder on the Homes for Ukraine programme, which used British host families.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “It is worrying to hear that desperate Ukrainian families who have fled war, endured trauma and heartbreak, arriving here entrusting their safety to our hands, have been left to fall into homelessness.

“Ukrainian families arriving here need a warm welcome, safe housing and benefits, emotional support, and connection. We’re concerned that Ukrainians arriving on family visas are running into problems as not all relatives will have the space or the resources to support their family members.”

About 77,000 Ukrainians arrived in the UK, out of 130,000 issued with visas for the family and Homes for Ukraine schemes. The schemes were initially plagued with delays, bureaucratic complexities over visas and fears about potential exploitation of refugees by traffickers and British criminals.

Of the 145 placements on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, 90 ended because the arrangement broke down and a further 55 never got off the ground properly because the accommodation was unavailable or unsuitable on arrival.

David Renard, housing spokesman for the Local Government Association, said councils were concerned as they received no data on, or funding for, people made homeless under the family visa scheme. He said: “Some of those families present as homeless once they have arrived, but we are asking that they should be able to be re-matched with a sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.”

Of the 145 failed Homes for Ukraine placements, 20 were rematched with a new host. Lauren Scott, executive director of Refugees at Home, said: “We urgently need a joined-up national fallback plan to help families whose placements go wrong.”

A government spokesman said: “The overwhelming majority of people are settling in well, but in the minority of cases where family or sponsor relationships break down, councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their head. Councils also have access to a re-matching service to find a new sponsor in cases under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.”