Concerns raised at plan to close refugee centres
CONCERNS have been raised over plans to get Ukrainian refugees to leave welcome centres in Wales in the coming months.
In a report published yesterday, a cross-party Senedd group asked the Welsh Government for assurances the 1,200 refugees still in 27 welcome centres such as hotels and holiday parks across the country would be suitably accommodated elsewhere.
Just under half of the 6,500 refugees who have arrived in Wales from Ukraine over the past 12 months have done so through the government’s super sponsor scheme – meaning they first were hosted in a welcome centre facility.
But some of them have been in the centres for almost a year due to difficulties in finding longer-term accommodation.
Last month, Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt, who is the minister overseeing the “move on” process, reassured refugees that while all welcome centres will close, they wouldn’t find themselves homeless despite a reluctance among sponsors to come forward.
The government said it is moving quickly to find an additional 1,300 homes including modular temporary facilities, which the committee also raised worries about.
In a bid to persuade as many sponsors in Wales to come forward as possible, the Welsh Government has announced that it is increasing monthly “thank you payments” from £350 to £500 from April 1 with the aid of £40m in funding announced last week.
In a statement, a Welsh Government spokesperson said “our approach meets, and in some cases exceeds, the recommendations in the report”.
The government plans to close all 27 welcome centres in Wales within 18 months.
In its report, the local government committee said: “We are concerned by reports that the Welsh Government will begin closing its welcome centres.
“We are surprised by such a step, given the positive feedback from the Welsh Government and stakeholders, on the role of the centres.
“We would like the Welsh Government to outline its rationale, should it be beginning to close centres, and how it intends to ensure those currently in the centres are moved to suitable accommodation.”
At a time when many hotels across the country are full with homeless people, the committee also said it was worried there was insufficient availability of accommodation in Wales for refugees leaving the centres.
“We are particularly concerned as to whether there is sufficient accommodation available for Ukrainians to move into,” the committee said, citing “challenges faced by local authorities in securing permanent homes either through social housing or the private rented sector”.
Refugees previously told the Western Mail that homeowners are reluctant to come forward to take them in due to costs.
Speaking last month at a welcome centre in Monmouthshire, which will close by April 1, many said they found trying to rent a property themselves almost impossible due to landlords’ concerns over their finances.
The committee added that sponsors must be given “all necessary support from the Welsh and UK Governments to enable them to continue to host people from Ukraine for as long as is needed”.
The committee also asked for further clarification on the expectation of local authorities to develop modular homes within their regions.
Last month, Ms Hutt said modular homes will be used in every part of Wales to house refugees.
“The Welsh Government should provide an update to the Senedd on its intentions around the use of modular accommodation to provide homes for people from Ukraine,” the report added.
“This should include detail of the Welsh Government’s expectations on local authorities to develop such accommodation, the funding available to them and the longer term intentions for its use.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson responded: “We have today announced how we will continue to support people fleeing the war in Ukraine and support those already in Wales to move into longer-term accommodation with an additional £40m investment over the next financial year.
“Our approach meets, and in some cases exceeds, the recommendations in the report.”
Announcing the increase in support for sponsors, Ms Hutt said: “Now, as Putin’s war regrettably continues, we must ensure our guests are able to settle in longer term accommodation.”
She was again critical of the UK Government for cutting the tariff in January provided to local authorities to support refugees with resettlement programmes. “We will progress with a phased move on of guests from our initial accommodation,” she added.
“While the UK Government has chosen to make a cut in vital funding needed by local authorities to levels far below what can be managed, we’re determined to support councils to help everyone who needs a home in Wales.”
Some modular homes are already being built, such as in Llantwit Major where a modular estate of 90 houses is going up to house refugees soon.
Councils are to receive £2m in extra funding to “provide targeted support for more complex cases”.
The government says this is in addition to just under £2m funding in the form of a discretionary fund for councils to support local services to help refugees such as education and employability schemes.
Ms Hutt has already spoken about government efforts to find accommodation in empty properties for refugees, such as above shops.
She added: “We are working with local authorities, social landlords and partners to increase capacity of high-quality accommodation options, including providing more host accommodation.
“Those seeking safety will continue to find an inclusive welcome here.”