Ukraine: Kent council warns hundreds of refugees could be made homeless

Up to 500 Ukrainian households could become homeless in Kent in the run up to Christmas, a council has said.

Kent County Council (KCC) issued the warning as government funding for the Homes for Ukraine scheme ends in March.

The council offered financial help in October to people offering housing, amid fears that demand for arriving Ukrainians could not be met.

A government spokesperson said they have "a duty" to avoid homelessness where possible.

KCC leader Roger Gough has called for clarity from the government on future funding for host families.

"Kent already has 2,500 homeless families in emergency accommodation and Home Office use of hotels to house those seeking asylum is further putting unsustainable pressure on essential services and reducing local options for ensuring everyone has a safe place to live," he said.

There are currently 2,086 Ukrainians in Kent in sponsorship agreements across 992 households.

Between one and five Ukrainians are still arriving in Kent daily, according to KCC, which has about 30 Ukrainian households in need of immediate housing.

About 51,000 people who came to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme have now reached the end of their six-month sponsorship period, the BBC has found.

The latest national figures - up until 18 November - show more than 2,000 Ukrainian families with children, as well as 900 individuals, have registered with local councils as having nowhere to live in the UK.

A KCC spokesperson said: "We anticipate that as many as 500 more households will become homeless because current hosts are unable to continue over the coming weeks."

Hanna Bashkina, who fled Mariupol earlier this year, had been staying with a host family in Wadhurst for six months until they decided not to continue with the scheme.

The former beauty salon owner said finding a rental property for her and her eight-year-old daughter had been a "massive challenge" on her limited income.

"You can't find something if you don't have a job," she said.

The government announced this week that councils will receive a one-off payment of £150 million, as well as a new £500 million Local Authority Housing Fund in England, which local authorities can use to support all people at risk of homelessness.

Meanwhile, sponsors will receive an increased 'thank you' payment of £500 a month, which housing and homelessness minister Felicity Buchan said will help with the rising cost of living.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said the government had "a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their head".

Local Government Association chairman James Jamieson said councils were "working through competing priorities and pressures within already overstretched resources".

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