Councils are seeing a "concerning increase" in Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK and becoming homeless due to relationship breakdowns with their sponsors and problems accessing accommodation. People who arrived under the family visa scheme are struggling to access cash while they wait for benefits and some are being put in hotels because their relative is unable or unwilling to house them.
Dozens of matches under the separate Homes for Ukraine scheme are understood to have broken down, with local authorities having to put families in emergency accommodation while they wait to find a new sponsor.
Councils are calling for a way to get refugees whose matches have broken down back on the database so that they can be matched quickly with sponsors in the local area who have homes ready and waiting. They are also exploring with the UK government the possibility of matching people who cannot stay with their family sponsor with sponsors registered under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Local Government Association (LGA) chair Cllr James Jamieson said councils need to be told in advance who is arriving under the family scheme and given funding so they can support them. He said: "Clarity also remains needed on safeguarding and housing checks under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and councils need clearer guidance on the next steps if the accommodation and safeguarding checks find a match that is not suitable and when sponsor arrangements break down or simply end.
"Councils are already seeing a concerning increase in homelessness presentations from Ukraine arrivals – including those who have arrived via the family scheme and where the families' accommodation is not suitable or the relationship has broken down shortly after arrival – and lone children arriving in the UK needing support. New arrivals should be able to be rematched with a different sponsor if a sponsorship breaks down to ensure families can swiftly move to other accommodation so they can rebuild their lives in their new communities."
In a survey published last week, the LGA said 57 councils have been approached by a total of 144 Ukrainian households who have become homeless after arriving under both schemes. The British Red Cross said it has had to refer people to homelessness charities, local authorities and housing associations due to problems getting funds or accommodation. In some cases it has had to fund short-term accommodation itself as an emergency measure.
Its support line has been contacted by people who are struggling to access cash while they wait for Universal Credit (UC) payments. The charity says more must be done to tackle these "basic problems".
In one case, a mother and her five children were put up in a hotel by a council after arriving under the family visa scheme. They were struggling to set up a bank account without proof of address, and without a bank account they could not complete a UC application.
They were advised to go to their local Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) office in person, but without enough money for public transport they had to make the three-mile journey on foot. When they arrived, an official suggested the younger children wait outside during the appointment, although staff supporting the family were able to stop this from happening.
Alex Fraser, British Red Cross director of refugee support and restoring family links, said: "We're increasingly concerned about the access to information about support people are receiving when they arrive. We're seeing an increasing number of calls to our support line from Ukrainians struggling to get cash and housing, and British families desperate to help but being prevented by the system."
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