Ukrainian refugees are arriving in England and being housed in homes infested with rats and mice, without heating and even living with drug users, a Welsh charity boss has said.
Bonnie Williams, director of Housing Justice Cymru, made the claim in evidence to the Senedd's local government and housing committee. She contrasted Wales' more cautious approach with the problems in England - but said there were also major problems in Wales finding homes for refugees because of the shortage of social housing. The waiting list for a home is already 7,000 people long.
As well as individual households in Wales who are offering rooms to refugees from Ukraine, the Welsh Government has committed to taking 1,000 households through the super sponsor scheme. There are currently 670 individuals who have been accepted on that scheme and those who have already arrived are being taken to "welcome centres". These are usually hotels, for a period of around three months from where they will go to either to a host property or a private tenancy. In England they are going straight to homes where checks aren't taking place.
