£800k set aside to help Ukrainian refugees pay for rented accommodation
A fund of £800,000 is due to be established to support Ukrainian refugees' move into private rented accommodation. The Homes for Ukraine (HfU) scheme, launched by the central government in response to the war in Ukraine, has seen over 2,345 Ukrainian Nationals accommodated in the area covered by Essex County Council.
There are currently another 600 HfU applications registered and being progressed on the visa system, with an estimated average of 50 new applications in a 30-day rolling period. Currently, sponsors hosting HfU guests receive sponsor ‘thank you’ payments of £350 to £500 per month - depending on the length of time the guest has been in the UK - with Essex County Council paying an additional £200 top-up each month as an incentive to continue the hosting arrangements and mitigate against homelessness.
However, thank you payments will continue at a flat rate of £350 a month from April and will end 18 months later. Essex County Council says it is vital it supports guests who want to move to privately rented accommodation to help prevent a rise in homeless applications to the housing authority.
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Family units will be able to claim £2,000, or a single HfU adult guest that will be living on their own can claim £1,000. To qualify, they will need to have been accommodated by an Essex Sponsor or Host on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme for over 3 months. They will only qualify if this is their first direct move from a sponsor or host to living in a private rented accommodation and they have not had funding from alternative similar funds.
They will not be asked to prove how the money has been spent, but the application and promotion of the fund will include moving the van, carpeting and furnishings, and decorating.
A statement from Essex County Council said: The cost of moving to private rented accommodation for this cohort of residents is likely to be higher than experienced by most UK citizens. Ukrainian nationals will have left their homes with limited possessions under difficult and dangerous circumstances.
"They will be setting up new homes without access to support from family and friends. Providing a consistent approach across the administrative area of Essex will ensure that support is provided to allow these citizens to set up their new homes with some autonomy and enable them to settle quickly into independent living.
"Some areas have access to charity provisions, but this is not universal or ideal in all circumstances. The Independent Living Fund could help alleviate extra financial pressure on the sponsors to help support the guests further with furnishing and homeware.
"Some sponsors have fed back to officers that they have felt pressure to provide financial support to their guests to help them move on as there is, currently, no other support available.”
It adds: “The Homes for Ukraine scheme is grant funded by the Homes for Ukraine Scheme Local Authority Tariff Payment, so there are minimal financial implications for Essex County Council in respect of the setting up of a HfU – Independent Living Fund. It has been confirmed that the use of the grant for this purpose is in line with the terms and conditions of the grant for which Essex County Council is accountable.”