Safe homes for refugees: learning from Ukraine schemes

Our latest report looks at ways to improve accommodation and resettlement for refugees by applying lessons learnt from the Ukraine response.

When conflict broke out in Ukraine in 2022, the UK provided safe routes for more than 200,000 people through schemes like Homes for Ukraine. A generous British public reached out to help Ukrainians in their thousands, welcoming them into their own homes. But while the schemes provided a much-needed lifeline to displaced people, many Ukrainian people continue to experience issues securing accommodation.

Our research found that Ukrainians are over four times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population. This is primarily due to the breakdown of relationships with host families and difficulties accessing the private housing market in the UK.

We saw different types of problems in the last two years. There are many people who ended up without any accommodation because the relationship with their sponsors broke up.

_{Veronika RiepinaUkrainian casework coordinator, British Red Cross}

Housing challenges faced by Ukrainians in the UK

Our report, Finding a Safe Home, offers insights into the challenges Ukrainians faced settling in the UK.

Here are some of their experiences:

• a woman applied to 65 housing associations before securing a place to live
• some people were made homeless at short notice. One woman was forced to leave her host family at midnight and had to sleep on a beach.
• a woman was offered accommodation that turned out to be set up for sexual exploitation, with a lock on the door and video cameras in the bedroom.

These delicate living situations have significantly affected people's mental health and wellbeing.

Too many families have ended up sleeping rough or living in places where they have felt unsafe. This has had a damaging impact on mental health and wellbeing. We need to improve the support available for Ukrainians here in the UK and learn from the Ukraine schemes so we can create more effective safe routes in the future.

_{Sal Copley Executive director of communications and external affairs, British Red Cross}

 

How can we improve accommodation for refugees?

The Red Cross is calling on the UK government to build on what has been achieved through the Ukraine schemes, to improve the UK’s support system for displaced Ukrainians and other refugees, no matter where they are from.

The Finding a Safe Home report offers several key recommendations including:

• strengthening Homes for Ukraine so it protects the safety and sustainability of sponsorship
• helping displaced people access the private rented sector and increase affordable housing stock
• publishing a national integration strategy that promotes more equal support for all displaced people
• applying lessons learnt from the Homes for Ukraine scheme and explore ways to offer faster, more effective safe routes to others seeking sanctuary.

We believe that by addressing these recommendations, the UK can create a more effective and compassionate framework for supporting displaced individuals.

To learn more about opportunities to improve refugee accommodation, read the Finding a Safe Home report.