The Welsh Government is calling on more Welsh households to take in Ukrainians fleeing the war. After pausing its super-sponsor scheme for Ukrainian refugees, there is now a need for more accommodation for families looking to escape Putin's unprovoked and illegal war.
Welcome centres were set up across Wales including in hotels and university accommodation. The idea was arrivals would go to those and are then moved onto medium and longer-term accommodation. There are 40 sites across Wales for initial accommodation which is a diverse mix of places.
Every household that was originally a sponsor committed to six months. Of the 2,800 who agreed to take refugees ONS estimates suggest that a quarter (700) will stop providing accommodation at the end of the six-month period.
The main motivation for people saying they want to stop providing accommodation are financial considerations. The UK Government provides a £350/per month thank you payment (which is paid for the first 12 months a refugee is in the UK) but Welsh and Scottish Governments have urged the UK Government to increase the payment to £500.
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Welsh Government minister for social justice Jane Hutt, called on the Welsh public to volunteer. She said: “I’m delighted to say that over 5,650 people from Ukraine, sponsored by the Welsh Government and Welsh households, have already arrived in the UK. More than 8,200 visas have now been issued to people from the Ukraine who have sponsors in Wales, so we can expect the number of arrivals to continue to grow in the coming weeks.
“Thousands of Welsh households sponsored Ukrainians to arrive in Wales and they gave a commitment to host for at least six months. As we move into the autumn, we approach the end of that initial period. We hope hosts and Ukrainians will agree to extend many of those placements, but we need additional hosts to support those who cannot continue living where they are.”
“In order to ensure a warm welcome to Wales, I’m issuing an invitation to households across Wales, to come forward and open their homes to welcome those seeking sanctuary. We’re immensely thankful to all those across Wales who are acting as hosts to Ukrainians, but it’s vital that more households to come forward.
“I completely understand that there are those who want to help but may not have the resources to do so, given the circumstances we’re all facing with the cost-of-living crisis. But what we all know, and has been proven countless times, is that the people of Wales are one of the most generous across the globe and I’m sure we will step up to the plate once again."
Of the Ukrainians who have arrived most of the children are now in mainstream education and 40% of the adults are in some form of employment. If Ukrainians are not able to stay in their sponsor homes they run the risk of becoming homeless and will have to apply to local authority support (LA's are obliged to provide support to Ukrainians at risk of homelessness). To try and manage short term gaps in accommodation provision the Welsh Government has partnered with the charitable arm of Airbnb (AirBNB.org).
The Welsh Government has said that if you want to help but are not in a position to take a family full-time you can sign up through Airbnb. Ms Hutt added: "The idea of hosting can be daunting. That’s why we have funded Housing Justice Cymru, to provide a Host Support service which includes expert and reliable information, training, advice and guidance for people hosting, or those considering hosting, Ukrainians in Wales. More information on sessions and training can be found on the Housing Justice Cymru website. We also publish regularly updated guidance for hosts and sponsors at gov.wales/ukraine.
“We still need many more households to consider whether they could provide a home for those in need. This would normally be a commitment to hosting for six to 12 months. If anyone is considering this we encourage them to register their interest at gov.wales/offerhome, and to attend one of the ‘Introduction to Hosting’ sessions, facilitated by Housing Justice Cymru. There will be no obligation to continue with the process if you decide it is not for you.”
“We have also partnered with Airbnb.org to ensure very short-term emergency placements can be provided to prevent homelessness. If you cannot host for more than six months but you could offer your property for up to 30 days at a time, you may also be able to contribute. Visit gov.wales/offerhome and follow the link to the Airbnb.org platform.”
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