Support scheme to prevent East Sussex's Ukrainian refugees becoming homeless

The Homes for Ukraine (HfU) scheme was designed to last between six months and a year, with visas allowing those fleeing from the war to stay in the UK for up to three years.

As of August 10, 1,612 Ukrainian adults and children had applied for visas based on matching with 667 sponsors in East Sussex.

This means that between summer 2022 and the end of 2023 it is likely that most Ukrainian families will be leaving the initial sponsorship arrangement in East Sussex and seeking to secure alternative accommodation.

This could be either leaving the UK or county, extending sponsorship arrangements if this is an option including rematching to another host or moving to independent accommodation.

A recent ONS Survey has indicated that a quarter of hosts do not intend to continue beyond the six-month period.

East Sussex County Council officers says this presents an acute homelessness risk specific to this group given Ukrainians will reach the end of their sponsorship periods within a relatively short period of time of each other.

Next week the allocation of £1.4million of the Homes for Ukraine grant to provide a move on support programme is due to be approved.

This will include one-off incentive payments to hosts who are willing to extend their placements beyond the 12-month period set out in the original programme, with a further incentive at the 18-month point.

Meanwhile financial support packages can be accessed at any time during a guests’ stay and prior to any homeless application.