A grant of £70,000 is to be accepted from the government as Liverpool Council prepares to welcome more Ukrainian refugees fleeing war.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is awarding the local authority grant funding of £70,000 to support welcome points for refugees in the city. It was revealed earlier this week that a further 182 Ukrainians are expected to be resettled in Liverpool in the “coming weeks and months”.
DLUHC is providing grant funding to deliver the Homes for Ukraine scheme, with Liverpool Council receiving an initial allocation of £1.1m. A report to the council’s cabinet ahead of its meeting next Friday said further allocations will be received as and when further refugees are placed in the area.
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It added: “This consists of £10,500 per person for 12 months, £350 per month payment to sponsors and a one off payment of £200 to each guest. The council is also responsible for operating a welcome point at Liverpool Airport as one of the UK’s designated ports of entry.
“Additional funding of £70,000 has been provided for this purpose in addition to the above.” Liverpool has been an asylum dispersal area since 2000, and has participated in various refugee resettlement schemes since 2016, including the crises in Syria and Afghanistan in September 2021.
It was revealed at the council’s neighbourhoods committee earlier this week that since the outbreak of the Russian invasion in February, 158 people have been resettled in Liverpool through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Around 1,100 people fleeing Ukraine have come through Liverpool Airport since war broke out, heading to a destination other than Liverpool.
Across England, 660 Ukrainian refugee households have approached councils after facing homelessness. More than 77,000 individuals have entered the UK since war escalated five months ago.
Between February 24 and June 3, councils in Merseyside have helped 10 households who fled the war but then found themselves facing homelessness in the UK. That includes four single households and six with dependent children.
Jill Summers, Liverpool Council community cohesion officer, said the work of the scheme was "something to be really proud of in the way we've responded", but resources are being kept under review when she addressed the committee earlier this week.
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