“Feel abandoned”: Ukrainian refugees in the UK faced difficulties

Ukrainian refugees who ended up in the UK are experiencing problems when trying to find housing, finding themselves without local sponsors. The survey showed that almost half of the refugees are unable to find guarantors or money for deposits to secure rent.

More than half of Ukrainian refugees struggle to find affordable rental housing after moving from host families, according to a study published a year after the launch of the Homes for Ukraine program in the UK.

According to The Guardian, last year more than 117,000 Ukrainians arrived in the UK under the “Houses for Ukraine” scheme. Another 49,000 arrived to join relatives who were already living in Britain.

But there are practical problems for those who have to turn down UK-sponsored housing and find themselves unable to rent or secure social housing. A survey of 325 Ukrainian refugees conducted by Generation Rent and Opora, a charity that supports Ukrainians in the UK, found that 49% of Ukrainians were unable to provide a guarantor when looking for rental housing, and 43% of refugees were unable to find money to pay a deposit. for rent.

British host families were asked to make an initial six-month commitment to host refugees from Ukraine, and many were unable to extend that invitation to a more permanent arrangement as the conflict continued. A total of 4,630 Ukrainian refugee families were classified as homeless after the relationship with their host family ended.

According to the Local Government Association, the latest figures show a 44% increase in the number of Ukrainians considered homeless over the past month.

This week saw a series of commemorative events commemorating the achievements of the program, which was implemented just 18 days after the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict and under which 71% of Ukrainian refugees in the UK are taken in by people who were previously strangers, according to the Sanctuary Foundation, one from the main partners of the program.

Krish Kandia, founder of the Sanctuary Foundation, describes the scheme as a resounding success, adding that it is “the biggest British response to a refugee crisis” since 1939. He hopes the program will become a model for wider refugee sponsorship programs, claiming it has saved £4.4bn of taxpayer money by not having to pay for hotel stays (unlike the Afghan resettlement program, which saw refugees from Kabul Afghan refugees were placed in hotels).

But others have urged the British government to focus on the practical difficulties faced by those who need to find independent housing. Stan Benesh, Managing Director of Opora, states: “This study clearly shows that Ukrainian refugees currently face a disproportionate level of structural barriers to accessing the private rental sector. People have to settle for real estate that is clearly not suitable for a sustainable restoration of life, as reflected in the percentage reporting dampness and mold, as well as poor condition.”

The Guardian writes that Anastasia Salnikova, who leads the J & C Soul group for Ukrainian refugees, which supports families living in unsuitable temporary housing, talks about the problems of immigrants from Ukraine who ended up in Britain: “Often the council tells them that they need to find and rent apartments knowing they can’t do it. They feel abandoned.”

A British government spokesman says: “In the year since we launched Homes for Ukraine, we have brought safety to 117,100 people thanks to the generosity of British families across the country. All guests can work and receive benefits, and local authorities are required by law to ensure that no family is left homeless. We allocate funds to councils for every guest of Homes for Ukraine, and recently also expanded and increased thank-you payments to sponsors. Just yesterday we announced £1m to help Ukrainians improve their English and open up job opportunities.”