Ukrainian refugee families being made homeless in Oldham

Friday, February 24 marks a year since Russia invaded Ukraine and led to millions of people living in the country being displaced.

The UK has taken in more than 160,000 Ukrainians fleeing the conflict – but many now face homelessness as arrangements break down.

Figures from the Home Office show seven households had received homeless duties in Oldham as of Friday, January 27 – including six families with dependent children.

This was a rise from four in November, the last time figures were published.

The figures show four households became homeless after the arrangement with their host broke down, while three did so because their accommodation was not suitable on arrival.

Duties are provided by the local council when a person or family is judged to be at risk of homelessness, or has already lost their home.

Refugees from the war have been invited to stay in the UK under the Ukrainian Sponsorship and Family schemes.

The former sets up refugees with hosts in the UK for an initial six months, who receive support from their local council and a stipend of £350.

In December, the Government raised these payments to £500 for those with guests who have been in the UK for longer than a year.

Council leader responds

Council leader, Cllr Amanda Chadderton, said: “Sadly, as the cost of living crisis continues to add pressure on households across Oldham and volatility surrounds people’s mortgages, we know many families are falling into extreme hardship through no fault of their own – including those who may be supporting refugees from Ukraine.

“In the most severe cases, some residents have been threatened with homelessness or have even lost their homes – a situation no one should ever have to go through.

“Our housing team are here to provide you with advice on your housing options and other support if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness.

"The prevention of homelessness is our key focus and we urge anyone in this position to contact our housing team at the earliest opportunity, so we can help.

“We will work with you to develop a personal housing plan to look at your housing options, including the provision of advice and support to access private rented accommodation or the completion of referrals to supported accommodation.

“We will also do as much as we can to support those most in need through our We Can Help campaign.”

‘Vital’ refugees are supported

Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council charity, said it was heartening to see so many people open their doors to people fleeing the conflict, but added it was "worrying" refugees are facing homelessness.

He said: “These are people who have endured unimaginable trauma fleeing war in their homeland, and they must have a place to call home to help them heal and rebuild their lives.

“It’s vital that they are now supported to find their own homes in our local communities.”

Across England just under 4,300 Ukrainian households had presented as homeless as of January – an increase of 44 per cent from nearly 3,000 in November.

Separate figures from the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme show 120 visas had been granted for refugees to stay with sponsors in Oldham as of Tuesday, February 14 – 98 of which had arrived in the country.

Government comments

A spokesperson for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “Where a sponsorship breaks down, councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their head.

"We have provided them with extensive funding including an addition £150m to support Ukrainian guests to move into their own homes, as well £500m to acquire housing for those fleeing conflict.”

“All Ukrainian arrivals can work or study and access benefits from day one,” they added.

For more information on the council’s We Can Help campaign visit the council website.