Despite the fact that London extended their stay for another year and a half (they were initially allowed to stay for three years, until 2025), at least 15,000 of the almost 200,000 Ukrainian refugees living in this country left their families who they are accepted, and found themselves homeless, writes The Daily Telegraph. And this figure may turn out to be even higher, as a third of local councils did not submit data.
These people have already applied to the local authorities for housing support - many were registered as "homeless" and were temporarily accommodated in hotels and hostels, others found social housing for the poor, and some managed to find and rent a detached corner (which in Britain even for locals – a difficult and expensive procedure).
The Association of Local Authorities for Refugees states that Britain "chronically" lacks housing for refugees, and sponsors are not obliged to accept Ukrainians indefinitely, although the government has continued to pay them for this (500 pounds per month - about 25 thousand UAH).
Against the background of the revealed problem, the "family scheme" of coming to Britain to visit relatives was closed. The rules under the "Houses for Ukraine" program (which is already ironically called "Homeless from Ukraine" among Ukrainians) are also being strengthened. Now only people who permanently live or have settled in Great Britain will be able to act as sponsors. Thus, Ukrainians who arrived earlier will not be able to receive compensation for their friends and relatives under the state program.
Even before that, Scotland, which for a short time accepted Ukrainians under the super-sponsor scheme (about 20 thousand people), refused to pay for their temporary housing, transferring the costs to local councils, which also threw up their hands, citing the lack of money for these purposes.
