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.
