The government left the job of helping refugees to local authorities and volunteers. Now the system is at risk of collapse
- Keir Giles is the author of Russia’s War on Everybody
Ukraine may be enjoying success on the battlefield, but displaced Ukrainians in the UK face renewed trauma. The Homes for Ukraine scheme, which has housed more than 100,000 people in Britain since the start of the war, is now at risk of collapse. Without early and drastic intervention, the scheme will compound rather than ease the suffering of the Ukrainian families it was meant to help.
The single biggest problem with the scheme is that it was drawn up with a six-month time limit attached, and the war has been going on for nine months. That means families reaching the end of the allotted period face a cliff-edge where essential support can suddenly stop, with no alternatives in place. By mid-October this year, nearly a third of displaced Ukrainian families were approaching the end of their hosting arrangements. When placements have ended, local and central government officials have told many displaced Ukrainians that they should look for new accommodation on the local private housing market, perfectly aware that letting agencies demand security and credit histories that people who have been subsisting in the country for only six months will find impossible to provide. Some local authorities advise that the only way to access further support is to deliberately make Ukrainian mothers and children homeless – which makes little sense, given that emergency housing is much more expensive than hosting arrangements.
