Dozens of Ukrainian refugees face homelessness in Bucks as some already homeless

Dozens of Ukrainian refugees are at risk of homelessness in Buckinghamshire, and some are already homeless, according to council data.

Some 208 Ukrainian households are owed homelessness prevention and relief duties by Buckinghamshire Council – or in other words are ‘statutory homeless’.

Meanwhile, 15 households are already homeless and living in temporary accommodation as of January 19, 2024, council data shows.

The Refugee Council charity said it was “deeply worrying” that Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s ongoing invasion of their homeland were ending up potentially homeless in Buckinghamshire.

Bucks Council said it “works closely” with guests and sponsors to get notice of the end of a sponsorship and finding alternatives, saying that housing families in temporary accommodation was a “last resort”.

The council has a statutory homelessness ‘prevention’ duty to help people avoid homelessness.

This means it must take reasonable steps to help prevent people from becoming homeless if it is satisfied that the person is threatened with homelessness within 56 days and eligible based on their immigration status.

‘Relief’ is where an authority has been unable to prevent people becoming homeless but helps them secure accommodation.

Bucks Council said in a response to a Freedom of Information request that 1,869 Ukrainian ‘guests’ have come to live in households in Buckinghamshire under the Homes for Ukraine scheme since March 14, 2022.

The Homes for Ukraine Scheme allowed Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they had a named sponsor, while the Family Scheme allowed people to join family members already in the UK.

Around 68 per cent of the households at risk of ending up on the streets in Buckinghamshire are family groups with dependent children, according to the data.

The figures also show that the council has successfully prevented or relieved homelessness for 122 households.

However, this is not possible for all Ukrainian households, with dozens at risk of homelessness due to a break down in accommodation or arrangement with their sponsor.

Other households also found that accommodation was not available or suitable upon their arrival, while a small number rejected offers from their sponsors.

The Marlow Ukraine Collective, which works with Bucks Council to help house and support Ukrainian refugees, said it had “tenaciously” tried to avoid families becoming homeless in Buckinghamshire.

Ali Leibowitz from the group said: “Most of our families are now living independently in private rentals; a few older couples live in social housing; some families are still hosted.”

The group said it wants to meet more landlords who are willing to rent to Ukrainian families, who are “hardworking and respectful tenants”.

Ali added: “In the meantime we continue to look for short term hosts for families who are unable to secure independent accommodation.

“It is a deeply rewarding experience and a monthly thank you payment is made by the local council. Please email marlow.ukraine.collective@gmail.com.”

Kama Petruczenko, a senior policy analyst at the Refugee Council, acknowledged such efforts to help Ukrainian families, but criticised the fact that dozens of them are now facing homelessness in Buckinghamshire.

She said: “As the tragic invasion of Ukraine forced millions to leave their homes in search of safety, the UK immediately stepped up, with thousands of people coming forward to open their homes.

“However, it is deeply worrying that Ukrainian refugees are now facing homelessness here. These are people who have endured unimaginable trauma, fleeing war in their homeland, and it is essential they have a place to call home, to help them heal and rebuild their lives.”

She claimed cuts to local authority funding for Ukrainian refugees were “partly the issue”, but also criticised the government’s “chaotic, splintered schemes for refugee resettlement”.

The expert called on central government to help local authorities come up with “much better, long-term solutions for supporting refugees in their communities”.

Mark Winn, Bucks Council’s Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Services, claimed the authority “works tirelessly” with sponsors and Ukrainian families to find suitable housing solutions.

He said: “For Ukrainian guests who are part of our ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme, we complete a homeless application when their sponsorship is ending within 56 days.

“We then work with the existing sponsor and the Ukrainian family to understand if the sponsorship can continue beyond the proposed end date. In most cases, sponsors are happy to continue with the sponsorship arrangement.”

The council said it tries to ‘rematch’ households to a new sponsor if their original sponsorship falls through and they cannot afford private or rental accommodation.

Cllr Winn added: “Across the two years of Homes for Ukraine, we have completed 208 homeless applications, but only 15 of these 208 have actually been made homeless.

“This is down to the hard work of our Housing, Asylum and Migration teams, the continued generosity of Buckinghamshire residents, and the willingness of our Ukrainian guests to positively contribute to life in our country whilst they are here.”