Context
A year on since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK has granted more than 215,000 Ukrainians visas under the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Family Schemes. London boroughs are proud to play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of Homes for Ukraine. Under the scheme, boroughs have been responsible for helping receive arrivals, conducting checks on accommodation offers, co-ordinating local services such as health and wellbeing support and school placements for Ukrainian children, and helping Ukrainians access English language lessons and employment.
A year on since the launch of Homes for Ukraine, London and its boroughs are facing significant challenges, particularly on housing now that many Ukrainians gone beyond six months of their sponsorship arrangement. We would welcome an update from the government on its plans to continue supporting those affected by the war in Ukraine. London boroughs are keen to continue working collaboratively with the government to ensure councils and their partners can provide the best outcomes for Ukrainians in London and address the challenges outlined below, which exist alongside wider asylum and refugee pressures.
London's Challenges
Housing solutions and homelessness continue to be a major challenge facing London across all asylum-seeker and refugee cohorts:
- Boroughs are extremely concerned by the number of Ukrainian refugees becoming homeless. Boroughs are working hard to help Ukrainian refugees avoid homelessness as much as possible, but the capital’s chronic shortage of affordable housing makes it extremely hard to find suitable accommodation for everyone who needs it.
- According to DLUHC data, 1141 Ukrainian households have presented as homeless in London since 24 Feb 2022. London Councils is working closely with the GLA in developing housing solutions in the capital, including with the government’s support and London’s share of the £500m Refugee housing acquisitions fund and £150m of UK-wide funding in the 2023/24 financial year to local authorities to help support Ukrainian guests move into their own homes and reduce the risk of homelessness.
- However, more innovative initiatives will be needed to increase affordable housing in London and enable a holistic response to migration.
London boroughs identified that lack of alignment between visa schemes is a challenge:
- Better alignment between the Homes for Ukraine scheme and the Ukraine Family Visa Scheme would improve the experience for families and individuals with currently no LA tariff or thank-you payment is available to Family Scheme hosts. London boroughs still report significant numbers of Family Visa Scheme arrivals presenting as homeless. More consistency in levels of government support would produce better outcomes.
The Homes for Ukraine visa allocations process is also a significant challenge:
- Boroughs are struggling with the lack of sponsors available to rematch families. London Councils understands that the government plans to ask new potential hosts to apply to re-match existing guests through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Furthermore, hosts will receive increased ‘thank you’ payments of £500 a month if they continue to sponsor someone under the Homes for Ukraine scheme beyond 12 months.
- Boroughs continue to struggle to deal with fraudulent cases, including, for example, cases where multiple Ukrainians are sponsored by one sponsor beyond what that sponsor could accommodate.
- Another key issue are visas being issued to Ukrainians before local authority checks have been completed or after local authority checks have failed the sponsor for safeguarding reasons or accommodation concerns.
- Boroughs are keen to work closely with government colleagues to address visa processing issues and discuss how to prevent and mitigate any risks of exploitation to Ukrainians.
London Councils' Ukraine Survey
London Councils, working with boroughs, London Strategic Migration Partnership and DLUHC undertook a mix-method survey (25 borough responders) to understand the London local authority experience of supporting the Homes for Ukraine policies. We have outlined the below findings.
London boroughs identify housing as the main issue impacting local authority support for Ukrainians:
- London Councils’ Ukraine Survey found that 84% of boroughs see housing as the main issue impacting local authority support for Ukrainians.
- Local authorities are taking steps, using the Homes for Ukraine tariff, to help Ukrainians access private rented sector housing. According to the recent survey- 72% of boroughs have helped Ukrainians pay deposits on housing, 60% have paid their first month’s rent or more, 56% have provided furniture, household essentials or helped with moving costs, 40% have made incentive payments to landlords and 40% have introduced a thank you payment top up.
London boroughs identified the following barriers to support for Ukrainians:
- Mental health provision - 56% of boroughs raised this as an area with gaps in provision (i.e. waiting times for appointments and the lack of culturally appropriate mental health support).
- Access to employment - 48% raised this as an area with gaps (i.e. converting Ukraine qualifications for work, helping Ukrainians to find employment that matches their skillset and accommodating the childcare needs of Ukrainians).
- ESOL provision - 36% raised this as an area with gaps (i.e. waiting times for ESOL classes
