Houses For Ukraine Funds To Be Elevated To £500 For Lengthy Time period Hosts

The federal government have chosen to extend help for Ukrainian refugee hosts (Alamy)

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Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove mentioned the funds would rise from £350-a-month to £500 for many who had been internet hosting refugees for longer than a 12 months after repeated warnings that additional monetary help was wanted.

Greater than 104,000 Ukrainian refugees have already arrived within the UK below the Houses for Ukraine scheme, which requested sponsors to deal with refugees for a minimal interval of six months in return for the month-to-month cost to assist offset their prices.

In a press release on Wednesday, Gove mentioned the choice to extend the funds was in recognition of the “ongoing help” of hosts, and comes after warnings that the rise within the cost-of-living was making it more durable for a lot of to proceed offering lodging.

The uplift is smaller than that proposed by former refugee minister Lord Harrington, who had lobbied the Treasury to double the cost for all hosts who continued to accommodate refugees past the six month interval.

PoliticsHome reported earlier this 12 months that the plans had been placed on pause throughout Liz Truss’s time in Downing Road regardless of strain from a few of her Treasury ministers to press forward with the rise as a part of efforts to keep away from homelessness amongst Ukrainian refugees.

“We have now stood agency with Ukraine however we owe particular because of the tens of hundreds of households throughout the UK who opened their houses and their hearts to Ukrainians fleeing battle,” Gove mentioned. 

“In recognition of their ongoing help, I’m happy to verify that they may see their ‘thanks’ funds uplifted for his or her second 12 months of sponsorship.”

Ministers additionally introduced a brand new £500m Native Authority Housing Fund can be made accessible to councils to assist discover new housing for refugees, together with these arriving from Afghanistan and different international locations.

The Division for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities mentioned the fund might be used to buy present housing inventory or convert different properties, with an purpose to ship 4,000 new houses by 2024.

The choice to raise the funds follows a surge within the variety of Ukrainian refugees presenting to councils as being susceptible to homelessness, together with a 40 per cent rise in November alone.

However the authorities confirmed that councils would see a major discount within the monetary grants they presently obtain for every Ukrainian who arrives of their space, with help being lower from £10,500 to £5,900.

The funding, which was given to help new arrivals, has been utilized by many councils to high up the month-to-month thanks cost in response to the warnings from hosts that monetary pressures may restrict their skill to proceed accommodating Ukrainian refugees.

Krish Kandiah, director of The Sanctuary Basis charity, which organised a joint letter final month from hundreds of hosts to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling for additional help, mentioned the rise would assist ease “unexpected monetary pressures”.

“The promise of extra monetary help for hosts is welcomed, as most households I’m in contact with are delighted to be internet hosting Ukrainian refugees however the cost-of-living disaster has added unexpected monetary strain on them,” he mentioned.

“The £500 million fund to spend money on housing is an excellent innovation that can assist Ukrainians and Afghans fleeing battle but in addition, importantly, native folks susceptible to homelessness.”

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