More than half of host families no longer house Ukrainian refugees in Peterborough

More than half of the Ukrainian families taken in by Peterborough households since Russia’s invasion last year are no longer living with their original hosts.

Of the 182 households in the cities that accepted refugees between February 2022, when the invasion began, and July 2023, 97 are no longer hosts, data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request shows.

This is for a range of reasons: in some cases, the sponsorship has broken down, most often because the host family needs their spare room back for family reasons, Peterborough City Council (PCC) - which is involved in organising the scheme - says.

But in other cases, the Ukrainian families have moved away voluntarily, either to new accommodation in the UK or back to Ukraine, it adds. Some placements were, meanwhile, only ever intended to be short term.

PCC says that “overall, the scheme has been successful” and any families left without a host due to a sponsorship breakdown have been housed with alternative families; none have been left without anywhere to live or in temporary council accommodation.

The Homes for Ukraine scheme was established by the Government last year after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, which led to the displacement of around 17 million people.

Currently, there are just under six million refugees dispersed around Europe, according to the Reuters news agency.

As part of the scheme, the Government has paid out hundreds of thousands of pounds in “thank you” payments to host families.

In Peterborough alone, £385,332 was paid out in monthly £350 payments between February last year and June this year.

FOI data also suggests that, unsurprisingly, the number of households taking in refugees has generally fallen in this period, with the majority of sponsorships being set up last year.

But hosts are still needed.

“There is still a need for new sponsors to continue to take in Ukrainians as we are seeing a steady stream of new arrivals, on average around 10-15 new people a month” a PCC spokesperson said.

To host a Ukrainian family, households must undergo a housing check, administered by the council, to ensure it’s suitable, as well as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which is a basic background check of things like criminal record.

Since the scheme’s launch in Peterborough, 35 households have been unable to host refugees despite registering interest either because their property was not suitable or they failed the check.

There are also other hosting requirements, such as being able to host for a minimum of six months and having leave to remain if you’re not a British citizen.

More information can be found on the Government website here and on the council’s website here.