The number of Ukrainian families who are presenting as homeless to English councils has increased by 22 per cent in a single month, leading local authorities to demand “urgent solutions” from government.
Some 1,915 Ukrainian households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness have turned to local authorities for help since 24 February, with 350 families seeking help in the past month alone.
Charities have warned that the problem “will escalate in the coming months” as Homes for Ukraine sponsor arrangements come to an end.
The Local Government Association, the national representative body for councils, said that they were “deeply concerned” about the growing number of Ukrainians presenting as homeless.
“In particular, the significant rise in the number of those who arrived through the Homes for Ukraine scheme,” Cllr James Jamieson, chairman of the association, said.
Are you in a similar position? Contact holly.bancroft@independent.co.uk
The Homes for Ukraine scheme was launched on 14 March, meaning that the first refugees to arrive in the UK reached the initial six-month mark last month.
Twenty-five per cent of sponsors said they only wanted to provide accommodation for six months or less, according to an ONS survey of 17,702 hosts.
More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of the Ukrainian households who have presented as homeless have dependent children, according to data from the Department of Levelling Up.
And 585 families on the Homes for Ukraine scheme have sought help after their accommodation arrangements broke down, the statistics showed. Some 415 households, who had arrived in the UK because they had family members already here, were in the same situation.
Hosting is never meant to be a permanent solution – we can’t rely on people’s goodwill forever— Sara Nathan, co-founder and trustee of Refugees at Home
Others could not find anywhere to live when they arrived in the UK or their accommodation wasn’t suitable.
The data showed that 1,915 households presented as homeless from 24 February to 23 September this year; a 22 per cent increase on the 1,565 families recorded the month before.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran condemned the “shocking figures” and said the government must act immediately “or risk breaking a promise to the Ukrainian people”.
“Those Ukrainians who fled to escape Putin’s war machines should be supported in the UK,” she said.
“It is absolutely crucial that support to sponsors is enhanced as inflation and energy costs increase,” Cllr Jamieson added.
Opora, a charity which supports Ukrainians in the UK, said they thought the numbers were “significantly underreported”.
“It is our understanding that the numbers are self-reported with inconsistent data capture methods, and almost 30 per cent of the local authorities have not provided any data,” trustee Stan Benes said.
“As is clear from the data, this is a problem that will escalate in the coming months. While it has been more than six months since the launch of the Homes for Ukraine scheme in March, people didn’t start arriving in the UK in larger numbers until late April and May.”
Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said the charity was “extremely concerned” about the “growing number of Ukrainians falling into homelessness under both the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme”.
“As we approach the end of the initial six-month hosting period under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, we are also worried that yet more people could be at risk of falling into homelessness if they are unable to extend their hosting arrangements,” she added.
She called on the government to increase the thank you payments for sponsors to help them as their bills rise.
“Hosting is never meant to be a permanent solution – we can’t rely on people’s goodwill forever,” Sara Nathan, co-founder and trustee of the charity Refugees at Home, said.
“We urgently need a national move-on strategy from government so that hosts and guests whose six-month placements are coming to an end aren’t left in limbo.”
Lord Harrington, the refugee minister under Boris Johnson, had previously called for the Treasury to increase the payments from £350 to £700 amid the cost of living crisis.
A government spokesperson said: “Over 131,700 people have been welcomed into homes across the country and the overwhelming majority are settled into accommodation.
“The majority of sponsors want to continue hosting for longer than six months. Where guests do move on, they have a number of options including to enter private rental or find a new host to sponsor them.
“Councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads.”
