Nearly a dozen Ukrainian refugees have been left homeless in Bristol. Families, including children, have had to seek help from councils after placements broke down.
Between February 24 and June 3, Bristol City Council has helped eight households who fled the war in Ukraine but then found themselves facing homelessness in the UK. That includes one single household and seven with dependent children.
Bristol City Council has said the figures are wrong, but did not provide further details. The data has been published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
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There are two routes to help Ukrainians get visas to come to the UK. The Ukraine Family Scheme allows applicants to join family members, or extend their stay, in the UK, while Homes for Ukraine allows people to offer a home to people fleeing Ukraine, either someone they know or someone they’ve been matched with through the scheme, as a sponsor.
The figures show one placement through the Homes for Ukraine scheme has broken down to the point where the council has had to step in, after the sponsor's offer was rejected. Of those who had arrived under the Family Scheme, there were six needing help because the accommodation wasn’t available or suitable on arrival.
In some cases, the situation has been resolvable, meaning homelessness was prevented. This happened in one case in Bristol.
In other situations, the council has had to find the homeless households new accommodation. In Bristol, five households have been put up in temporary accommodation, while three have been found settled accommodation.
Across England, 660 Ukrainian refugee households have approached councils after facing homelessness. The number may be even higher, as it’s not a requirement for councils to report numbers to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and around a quarter haven’t.
Of those needing help, three-quarters, or 480 households, had dependent children, with the other 180 households made up of single people. Of those arriving through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, 145 families have had to seek homelessness help - 90 because the accommodation arrangement has broken down, and 55 because the accommodation wasn’t available or suitable.
As well as this, in 175 placements through the Family scheme, the accommodation arrangement had broken down, and in 280 cases the accommodation wasn’t available or suitable. For some households seeking help, the situation was resolved through mediation (in 45 cases) or by rematching them with a different sponsor (in 20 cases), while 75 homelessness cases were solved in other ways.
However, councils across England have had to find temporary accommodation for 345 homeless Ukrainian refugee households, with a further 60 being offered other settled accommodation.
Enver Solomon, CEO of Refugee Council, said: “It is worrying to hear that desperate Ukrainian families who have fled war, endured trauma and heartbreak, arriving here entrusting their safety in our hands have been left to fall into homelessness.
“Ukrainian families arriving here need a warm welcome, safe housing and benefits, emotional support and connection. We’re concerned that Ukrainians arriving on family visas are running into problems as not all relatives will have the space or the resources to support their family members – which is why there needs to be the same level of funding available to them and local councils as is provided under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
“We welcomed the thousands of British people that came forward to open their homes, however these hosting relationships were always going to come with risks and responsibilities. That is why it is vital the government ensure that hosts and refugees are provided with the right training and specialist support – including help to find alternative accommodation when necessary to avoid the risk of homelessness.”
Commenting on the figures, a government spokesperson told the Guardian that more than 77,200 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK since Putin’s invasion, and the overwhelming majority are settling in well, but in the minority of cases where family or sponsor relationships break down, councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their head. Councils also have access to a rematching service to find a new sponsor in cases under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
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