Concerns are growing that increasing numbers of Ukrainian refugees in the UK are facing homelessness or destitution, the Government has been warned.
The latest official figures show that 4,295 Ukrainian households have needed assistance from councils in the face of the risk of homelessness.
The data, up to January 27, is from 72% of English local authorities and so gives only a “partial picture of the true scale of homelessness faced by this refugee community”, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ending Homelessness said.
The cross-party coalition of more than 70 MPs and peers said it welcomed the Government’s response to the conflict in 2022 but called for more action “to ensure that refugees could access a safe and secure home and did not have to face homelessness”.
A letter, with signatories including former Home Secretary Priti Patel, has been sent to housing and homelessness minister Felicity Buchan.
The group said financial support for refugees could be made more flexible and pointed to differences in the Homes for Ukraine Scheme – where people are sponsored by a UK household for six months – and the Ukraine Family Scheme, for those with family already settled in the UK.
The APPG cited research by the Work Rights Centre which it said had found more than twice as many Ukrainians under the family scheme were at imminent risk of eviction than those under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
The group said this could be down to a “lack of financial support which forces Ukrainians and their family members to rely on their own financial resources to get by”.
Some 162,700 Ukrainians had arrived in the UK by February 13 under both schemes since they were launched in March last year, latest Government figures show.
Of those, 47,500 arrivals came under the family scheme, while 115,200 came under the sponsorship scheme.
The APPG has also called on the Government to “learn lessons from recent humanitarian crises and bring forward a new strategy for refugee integration and resettlement, to allow for a better co-ordinated response in the future”.
A refugees minister must be appointed, they said, with the post having been left vacant since Lord Harrington held the position between March and early September last year.
Such an appointment would “acknowledge the UK’s commitment to improving conditions for refugees in the UK” the APPG added.
In their letter, they stated that the most recent financial support package of £650 million, announced by the Government in December, is “very encouraging and continues the long and proud history of the UK providing a safe home to those who have been forced to flee due to conflict”.
More must be done to prevent increasing numbers of Ukrainian refugees from being forced into homelessness— MPs Bob Blackman and Florence Eshalomi
But they added: “However, in the midst of the cost of living crisis, there are growing concerns that increasing numbers of Ukrainian arrivals are facing homelessness or destitution.”
The group said their members “very much share the Government’s commitment to tackling homelessness and feel that supporting Ukrainian refugees during the cost-of-living crisis and beyond is an important part of this”.
They added: “We believe no Ukrainian who has found refuge in the UK after fleeing the devastating conflict at home should experience homelessness and be left without a safe place to live here.”
Two of the signatories, Conservative MP Bob Blackman and Labour’s Florence Eshalomi, described it as “unacceptable that thousands of people who arrived in the UK to escape the conflict are now facing homelessness”.
They said: “While the announcement of continued funding under the existing schemes for both sponsors and refugees is welcome, more must be done to prevent increasing numbers of Ukrainian refugees from being forced into homelessness.
“Unfortunately, many of the challenges facing refugees in securing safe housing are not unique to this community but rather indicative of the wider crisis across the country, as more and more people are forced into unstable living situations due to rising costs.”
Matt Downie, chief executive at homeless charity Crisis, said: “Although the visa schemes introduced by the Government have provided a lifeline for many refugees, it is incredibly concerning to hear that over 4,000 are now at risk of homelessness due to issues surrounding funding and financial support.
“What’s more, the severe shortage of affordable housing across the country has restricted their ability to move on into settled housing and rebuild their lives – an issue which is affecting far too many people in the UK as living costs continue to rise.
“We urge the Government to consider implementing changes to the existing schemes, as well as the introduction of a dedicated refugee resettlement strategy, to ensure no-one who has sought safety in the UK is left without a home and facing homelessness.”
Meanwhile the Local Government Association (LGA) echoed the call for more housing.
LGA chairman James Jamieson said Ukrainians are entering an already “logjammed system where we just do not have enough housing and every council has significant council house waiting lists”.
In December it was announced councils in England were getting a new £500 million fund to acquire housing stock for those fleeing conflict, including from Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Mr Jamieson said that while positive, the fund is something that must be built on.
He said: “Longer term, the key thing is how do we get more housing. We’re very pleased with the £500 million scheme but actually, if we can build upon that, that would be very helpful to get more housing.”
A Government spokesman said: “Since Russia’s illegal invasion, the UK has welcomed over 162,000 Ukrainians to safety, demonstrating the extraordinary generosity of the British public.”
He added that local authorities “have a legal duty to ensure no families are left without a roof over their heads” and referred to Government help already in place to support councils with “more resources to help them address these challenges”.
