Seven out of 10 Brits providing homes for Ukraine refugees says cost-of-living crisis is hitting their ability to help their guests
- 21% of hosts said their ability to provide support has been affected ‘quite a lot’
- The ONS surveyed all UK adults registered with the scheme as of July 7 – July 14
- A total of 17,702 people responded, with almost three-quarters currently hosting
- 10% of the hosts said their guests had contributed financially – mostly with food
Seven in 10 UK sponsors of Ukrainian refugees say their ability to provide support has been hindered by the cost-of-living crisis, new figures have suggested.
Some 21 per cent of people who have or are currently hosting Ukrainians in their homes said the rising cost of living has affected their ability to provide support ‘quite a lot’, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
A further nine per cent said it affected their ability to help ‘very much’ while 41 per cent said it had been affected ‘a little’.
However, 26 per cent said it had not affected their ability to help at all while three per cent replied ‘don’t know’.
Pictured: Maxim and wife Olga Hyryk (centre), part of a refugee family of nine who escaped war-torn Ukraine for Britain. The family were evicted by their hosts who lived next door after just one month and without being given a reason
It is the first time the ONS has published data on sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and it cautioned that the figures are experimental.
The Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme has allowed Ukrainian nationals and their relatives to come to the UK if they have a sponsor who can provide accommodation for at least six months.
The body surveyed all UK adults registered with the scheme as of July 7 in collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
A total of 17,702 people responded, with almost three-quarters (74%) currently hosting, four per cent having previously hosted, 18 per cent with their first guests due to move in in the coming weeks and three per cent planning to host in future.
One-third (33%) of those with current or previous guests reported meeting them through social media while 23 per cent used a matching service.
More than half (56%) of registered sponsors were female and the most common age range was between 50 to 69 years.
The report found that 43 per cent of registered sponsors were working full-time while 21 per cent were retired.
Almost all (99%) of current or previous sponsors said they have regularly provided extra support to their guests, such as food, childcare, taking them to appointments and financial help.
The same proportion said they have incurred extra costs due to hosting.
These include higher water, gas and electricity costs (91%), additional food spending (73%), costs of purchasing bedding and toiletries for their guests (71%) and extra transport costs (66%).
Roughly 10 per cent of the hosts said their guests had contributed financially, with nine per cent saying this was towards food or groceries.
The survey identified variation around how long current sponsors want to continue hosting – six per cent said they want the arrangement to last less than six months, almost a fifth (19%) expected it to last six months, while 23 per cent intended to provide a home for longer than a year.
Of current sponsors who want the arrangement to last six months or less, 23 per cent said they did not plan to continue hosting because of the rising cost of living or because they cannot afford it.
More than half (58%) said they had only intended to provide short-term accommodation.
Of those who planned to provide accommodation for between six and 12 months, 70 per cent said a continued £350 ‘thank you’ payment each month would encourage them to host for longer.
When asked what originally encouraged them to apply for the scheme, most people (94%) said they wanted to help people fleeing a war zone.
A minority (10%) said they were motivated by the monthly £350 thank you payments.
Refugees minister Lord (Richard) Harrington said: ‘These latest ONS stats show the vast majority of sponsors say they want to provide support for longer than six months, which is testament to the goodwill the British public has shown the people of Ukraine since tanks first rolled across the border.
‘They will, of course, continue to receive monthly ‘thank you’ payments for up to 12 months to help with the associated costs of opening up your home.
‘We initially asked sponsors to host for a minimum of six months and we are working closely with councils to ensure Ukrainians have a safe place to live if they decide to move on.
‘We are contacting sponsors directly to outline next steps and the support available to them and the Ukrainians they are sponsoring.’
The Local Government Association (LGA) called for the Government to consider increasing the monthly thank you payments for those who continue hosting for longer than six months.
Councils are concerned about the number of hosts who have indicated they do not want to continue.
LGA chairman James Jamieson said: ‘Councils, sponsors and Ukrainian guests all need to know what the options are at the end of the six-month initial placement period so they can start planning now.
‘We hope a number of Homes for Ukraine sponsors continue to house Ukrainian refugees with them and we are talking to Government about how we might encourage that; for instance, increasing the thank you payment to a higher amount so the sponsors can be sure it’s not costing them.
‘There is a significant risk that – even if rematching is available – many Ukrainian families may need to present as homeless because of a lack of sponsors or other options.’
Source: Read Full Article
