Anniversary of the Homes for Ukraine scheme

A Westminster Hall debate on the anniversary of the Homes for Ukraine scheme will take place on 1 March at 4pm.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme is one of three routes introduced by the Government to support people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. The scheme launched on 14 March 2022 and has enabled over 153,300 Ukrainians to arrive in the UK, as of 21 February 2023.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme allows individuals in the UK to sponsor a named Ukrainian national or family to come to live in the UK with them, providing they have suitable accommodation to offer.

Under the scheme, hosts commit to housing Ukrainian guests for six months. After that time, households may agree to extend their sponsorship arrangement, guests may rematch with new hosts, or they may seek privately rented accommodation.

Guests are experiencing a number of challenges when entering the private rental market, which combined with the existing pressure on council services and the growing number of six-month sponsorships coming to an end, has led stakeholders to express concerns over the risk of homelessness.

On 14th December 2022, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove announced to the Commons several updates to the scheme. Key changes included an extension in the duration of the optional ‘thank you’ payments, as well as an increase in the minimum amount given to some hosts. A Local Housing Fund is being launched and changes are being made to reduce the funding provided to local councils for new Ukrainian arrivals from 1 January 2023.

The December 2022 updates seek to address some of the concerns about the risk of homelessness, although stakeholders have raised doubts over their likely efficacy in light of the scale of the housing stock deficit.