‘Homes for Ukraine’ is just a slogan – as I found out by trying to welcome a refugee

‘Mobilising the goodwill and spare rooms of the British public was a neat idea in theory that gets untidy on inspection of practicalities.’ Refugees and volunteers at the Medyka crossing on the Ukraine-Poland border, 31 March 2022. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

A policy of indifference to the plight of Ukrainian refugees would be morally repugnant, but honest. Millions fleeing the criminal butchery of Vladimir Putin’s army would be told that they were not welcome in Britain and should seek sanctuary elsewhere.

That is not the UK government line. Instead, something more insidious has taken shape – a device for mixing the desperation of displaced people with hospitality offered by the British public, and feeding both into a bureaucratic mangle so every drop of uncertainty and dread can be wrung out. That is the Homes for Ukraine scheme.