Concerns have been raised over plans to get Ukrainian refugees to leave welcome centres in Wales in the coming months. In a report published on Thursday a cross-party Senedd group asked the Welsh Government for assurances the 1,200 refugees still in 27 welcome centres such as hotels and holiday parks across the country would be suitably accommodated elsewhere.
Just under half of the 6,500 refugees who have arrived in Wales from Ukraine over the past 12 months have done so through the government’s super sponsor scheme - meaning they first were hosted in a welcome centre facility. But some of them have been in the centres for almost a year due to difficulties in finding longer-term accommodation.
Last month, Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt, who is the minister overseeing the “move on” process, reassured refugees that while all welcome centres will close, they wouldn’t find themselves homeless despite a reluctance among sponsors to come forward. The government said it is moving quickly to find an additional 1,300 homes including modular temporary facilities, which the committee also raised worries about.
