Thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the UK found themselves homeless: the main reasons are named

The British Red Cross has warned that more than 50,000 refugees in the UK could be left homeless by the end of the year unless ministers take urgent steps to support them by clearing the asylum backlog, The Guardian writes.

The UK Government has committed to processing all “legacy” asylum claims made before 28 June 2022 by the end of the year. Based on data from those currently in refugee shelters, the charity estimates that 53,100 refugees would be at risk of homelessness if the government reaches its target.

The problem comes as the UK Home Office has fast-tracked the 28-day “relocation” process – the period by which people are forced to leave government-provided accommodation after receiving refugee status, leaving some people with just seven days to move.

The Red Cross is calling on the British government to immediately reverse the changes to the move deadline and extend it to 56 days to give newly recognized refugees more time to find housing, work or benefits.

Alex Fraser, British Red Cross director of refugee support, said: “People who have been forced to flee their homes have already suffered unimaginable trauma. They need stability, support and to feel safe – depriving people only leads to more suffering and hardship. Once they receive refugee status, it takes them longer, not less, to find housing, work or benefits. It takes at least 35 days to start receiving Universal Credit and local authorities need at least 56 days to help them find housing.”

Since making changes to the “move-in” period in early August, British Red Cross refugee services have recorded a 140% increase in the number of people in need they grant refugee status to, from 132 people in June and July to 317 people in August and September.

London, north-west England and Glasgow have particularly high numbers of people in refugee shelters, facing poverty as well as high housing pressures, as shown in an interactive map compiled by the Red Cross.

Shona Roberts, manager of the Merseyside Refugee Support Network in Liverpool, said nearly 100 refugees had contacted the center for help in the past two months.

Roberts warns local health colleagues of the looming “horrific” situation: “I think we’re going to see deaths in parks and on the streets due to hypothermia and poor health, because how are people supposed to survive?”

Other refugee charities have confirmed that a homelessness crisis is unfolding across the country. Layla Williams, from the charity West London Welcome, said their service was overwhelmed by people who had recently been granted refugee status and were facing homelessness. “The government is condemning recognized refugees to poverty,” she said. “Some of the new refugees are sleeping on the steps of the hotels where they were housed as asylum seekers because they have nowhere else to go.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “We do not accept these forecasts. All asylum applications are considered on an individual basis. We encourage people to make their future plans as soon as possible after receiving a decision, whether that means leaving the UK after a refusal or making arrangements to integrate into the UK after receiving a grant. We support refugees to access jobs, benefits and housing.”

Meanwhile, back at the end of August, The Conversation wrote that many of those Ukrainian refugees who reached the UK find themselves homeless. Government statistics published on August 15 showed that 7,300 Ukrainian families in Britain were classified as homeless, including 4,740 families with children. These figures only apply to England and are based on information provided by 67% of local authorities – so the true scale of the problem is likely to be greater.

Since February 2022, more than 180 thousand Ukrainians have arrived in the UK under two housing schemes, The Conversation recalls. The Ukraine Family Scheme allows Ukrainians to join family members already living in the UK, while Homes for Ukraine allows UK citizens to host Ukrainian citizens with no links to the UK.

Each case of homelessness has its own individual and complex set of causes, but overall the trend is influenced by three factors: breakdown of accommodation arrangements, problems accessing long-term housing (especially in the private rented sector) and inconsistent and insufficient support for refugees.

Although the UK government has moved quickly to introduce housing policies for displaced Ukrainians, in reality these schemes rely on the goodwill and ability of the public to accept Ukrainian citizens who have multiple needs. In many cases, these arrangements will inevitably be short-term, The Conversation acknowledges. Hosts under the Homes for Ukraine program were asked to provide accommodation for six months, receiving a “thank you payment” from the government of £350 per month, which increases to £500 if the agreement is extended for more than 12 months.

But reports indicate that for both British hosts and their Ukrainian guests, arranging such accommodation “cannot go on forever”. Many British hospitality runs out after at least six months. Some hosts feel that they want to reclaim the space given to Ukrainians and that they cannot continue to host guests. For some hosts, helping refugees turned out to be more difficult than they expected.

Although local authorities inspect properties before guests move in, there have also been reports of overcrowding, security issues and problems with landlords. Such problems also lead to premature termination of housing provision.

When housing provided under one of the Ukrainian schemes is no longer available, most people turn to the private sector for housing. Typically, there are significant supply and affordability issues in the private sector, but Ukrainians often face additional barriers.

Some private landlords are refusing to rent to Ukrainians who receive Universal Credit or cannot provide long-term proof of income. A survey conducted in March 2023 showed that 49% of Ukrainian refugees were unable to provide a guarantor, and 43% did not have enough funds to make a deposit.

More than 80% of hosts reported problems in helping Ukrainian guests secure private accommodation. Alternative accommodation is not always available in the same location, meaning families may have to leave school sites and other support networks.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, some charities that help find housing have had to cut their support. A survey of 1,200 Homes for Ukraine hosts found that only 12% received support from local authorities to help guests find private rental accommodation.