Ukrainian refugees still at risk of homelessness in the UK

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
22 Nov 2023 17:43
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6,220 Ukrainian refugee families will be applying for homelessness support by the end of the year.

Ukrainian Refugees Arrive in Zahony, Hungary, photographed on February 27, 2022. (AP)

The British Red Cross announced the increasing risk of homelessness Ukrainian refugees will have to face as they seek safety in the UK, and away from war.

In a report cited by The Guardian, conducted by the British Red Cross and Heriot-Watt University, it was forecasted that 6,220 Ukrainian refugee families will be applying for homelessness support by the end of the year, marking an increase of 13% from last year.

A total of 298,430 families applied for homelessness support last year, comprising 1.24% of UK households. The Red Cross report found that Ukrainian families were far more likely than others to end up homeless, mainly as a result of the cost of living crisis in the UK.

Calls for increased funding to support Ukrainian families have been made to protect them from possible exploitation and the hazards of homelessness.

After the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, which was heavily pushed by NATO, over 192,000 Ukrainians arrived in the UK through The Ukraine Family and Homes for Ukraine schemes, but thousands were left homeless due to breakdowns in housing arrangements, limited access to long-term housing, and inadequate refugee support.

Jess McQuail, director of Just Fair, a UK-based network that advocates for equality for all, has called for the equal distribution of resources among both refugees and English citizens, as their current policies have not been adjusted and harm those who came to the UK for security and stability, and as motives to extend visas to Ukrainian refugees remain unclear.

Under the current UK Home Office guidance policy, it is mentioned that people seeking asylum in the UK will receive stable housing after only 19 days of staying in temporary accommodation, however, numerous families refuted that, saying they had spent months, even a full year there.

Homeless Ukrainian refugees up 30% in December 2022

In December 2022, The British Times reported that Ukrainian refugees are facing a 30% increase in homelessness rates as host families in the UK are ending their commitment to providing them with housing, according to the British Times.

Last year, the UK designed and introduced a Homes for Ukraine scheme where British families provide Ukrainian refugees with support for no less than six months in exchange for a £350 monthly payout by the government.

After the minimum period of six months passed or was approaching its end, many UK households ended their participation in the plan while Ukrainian families were left to deal with homelessness.