The chair of The Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership (SHAP), set up to assist Ukrainian refugees at the start of the Russian war, has spoke of the “desperate” conditions many families they work with face in trying to find accommodation.
A total of 94,900 Ukrainians, came to the UK as part of the Governments ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme to stay with British host families as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in March.
Hosts have received monthly payments of £350 from the Government and were asked to guarantee a home for a minimum of six months, which is now coming to an end.
While many hosts have promised to continue offering a home to Ukrainian refugees beyond the six months required by the scheme, some have said they were struggling to afford the increase to household bills.
Others point to a change in family circumstances, as the reason they won’t be able to offer accomodation to refugees beyond the initial six months leaving many Ukrainian families thrown onto the housing market which is unaffordable to many in a much stronger financial situation.
According to government figures from 24th February 2022 until 26th August 2022, there were 1,565 Ukrainian households currently registered as homeless by councils, this number could double or even triple once the six months is up.
Mike Bowden, Chair of SHAP, said those who the organisation currently work with were in “desperate need” of rented accommodation where landlords are willing to accept benefits as means of paying rent.
“There are quite a few Ukrainian families and single mums coming to the end of the six months hosting arrangement that are about to become homeless due to hosts not wanting to continue within the scheme. This along with a shortage or rented accommodation that accepts benefits is not a great position for these families to be in” Mike told the Swindonian.
“For example, on Friday I was asked to assist Tanya – A young Ukrainian mum living in Swindon with her two daughters aged 15 and 5. Tanya has found work at New College working as many hours as her child commitments permit.
“Their host does not want to continue the arrangement and she has found a privately rented house in West Swindon to move into. The problem is Tanya will only be accepted as a tenant IF she can provide a rent guarantor.”
This story will be repeated in many more families in Swindon and beyond, most will have an insufficient credit history to enable them to pass any credit checks and will also have no one who would able to be their guarantor.
While it would not completely solve the pressures Mike Bowden has two solutions that would alleviate the pressure, private landlords accepting tenants who are on Universal credit or Swindon Borough Council, like other councils around the UK, acting as a rent guarantor.
After raising the issue with South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland earlier this year, SHAP received a response from the minister for Housing and Communities, Andrew Stephenson.
“To support guests in accessing the private rented sector, some councils are running schemes in which the council acts as rent guarantor for the household” he said.
Mike Bowden says he has contacted both Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire County Council, both of which have declined to act as a guarantor.
Emergency housing can be made available to those families that find themselves homeless by Swindon Borough Council something Mike Bowden says would be a higher cost to the council than acting as a guarantor: ”for those that only view matters in pounds rather than human decency, the fact is that standing as a rent guarantor would be considerably cheaper than providing emergency accommodation for young mothers with kids.”
