Will you be opening your home up to Ukrainian refugees?

[musicalfrog]

Interested to see how popular this will be considering so many of us want desperately to make a tangible difference.

My OH wouldn't be up for it I don't think, and we don't have a spare room so I will avoid that particular argument. But otherwise I think it would be such a great thing to do.

The govt is asking for a minimum commitment of 6 months. Will you be signing up?

No. I am under occupying my house, but there is so much more to this than just providing a room.

After the threads on here complaining how the Tories were absolute idiots for not taking in more refugees, now they are suddenly its all a load of back peddling. Now there could be an additional 100k children going to schools its all omg classes are already full. Have to laugh at the absolute hypocrisy of people sometimes.

Like duh what did you expect

[quote daisypond]@PuzzledObserver
I’m not sure that’s happening in Poland etc, though, now. I wouldn’t hold your breath at expecting a load of professional experienced people setting things up.[/quote]
Mmm, but Ukrainians are arriving in Poland straight from Ukraine, in their tens of thousands. They can’t simply be left in the open air, they have to be provided for somehow. Any coming here will have to come by boat/plane, and we have a bit more control over the rate at which they arrive. So we should use the time inherent in that to set up systems .

I read a really distressing article earlier about unaccompanied children from Ukraine being taken by traffickers - just disappearing because there is no system in place to track them and make sure that the people they go with are legitimate. We have to do better.

Yes. We will. We have two double bedrooms sitting around doing nothing.

Yes, thousands of children are unaccounted for. Some will have gone with traffickers. Also, reports of men taking children from orphanages and crossing the border with them, as “fathers” with three children are allowed to cross. I hope we have more time to set things up properly here, but for many it’s already too late.

Well only women and children are allowed out if the country for several weeks now so it’s very unlikely that men will be part if the package.Not sure why you wouldn’t be considered either tbh. Living in a rural area isn’t a sin

It's to do with being close to
Places where they can work, or access support etc.

We’ve just discussed this and we’ve decided to offer our spare room. Not only is it the right thing to do but it’s just about all we can do. So, we’re putting our money where our mouths are. To be honest, I’m astounded my bloke’s up for it, it’s good to know he can still surprise me.

Not sure why you wouldn’t be considered either tbh. Living in a rural area isn’t a sin

Not a sin, but not what charities placing refugees want (I have looked into it)!

I would love to but one I don’t have spare room and secondly DS has autism and doesn’t like meeting strangers so even if I wanted to I couldn’t.

Our dog is a bit of a pain.... he's not used to children but I bet they wouldn't house young kids if there's dogs in the home

Yes. Really hoping to do this. I'm a bit worried about my 3yo though, as she's really not a people person... They're at war, and desperate though - no time to wait really.

@FuckIDunno

No.

I value my space and privacy.
I couldn’t ask my children to give up their space and privacy.
I don’t speak Ukrainian.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving strangers alone in my house, or with my kids.
I’m not in a position to support traumatised individuals.
I can’t afford it. The rising food/fuel/utilities prices are currently crippling me.
You can’t just chuck them out if it’s not working out for whatever reason.
My house is too small for everyone to live comfortably without being on top of each other.

This.

Hard no here.

I would like to, but current circs - single parent to 3 teens, inc one with autism, several dogs and a cat and - crucially - no spare bedroom, mean it's a no go.

I’m feeling quite angry about this “scheme”. Basically the government is avoiding paying directly out of our taxes for somewhere for these families to live and work for the time they’re here. It’s all the old virtual signalling again…look we’re offering this aren’t we good. Nope. They’re not offering anything. They’re trying to get other people to pay on top of taxes. In the middle of a time when cost of living is in a crisis.
does a woman whose been struggling to leave war zone , with kids, having left her home, her husband want to be camping out in a tiny bedroom, with kids in same room, in middle of no where, with a stranger she can’t communicate with and doesn’t like? And no one from her country around to support her? A place she could literally be thrown out of at a moments notice because she upsets her host over some random misunderstandings

It will work to give support, a lot of support, to those individuals who are family or friends already, can communicate etc. I want these people to feel they have a home here for however long, not be made to feel grateful for everyday for some random act of charity, trying to be polite etc living in someone else’s home they could be turfed out of at any time.
It’s a bloody stupid idea.
I remember the 1970s/80s when uk “welcomed” Vietnamese “boat people” . Same shit from a conservative government where thatcher initially refused to allow refuges to enter. There was plenty of reports about the failings of that program in which 10k people were eventually resettled.particularly the damage caused by isolation due to dispersal. But we seem to have learnt nothing of those mistakes despite the heartache and stress it caused these already traumatised people.

www.facebook.com/100006307174316/videos/335881405248655/

Yes, I can offer a small room for a single lady. Admittedly, the room is a tip ATM and I'm strapped for cash right now but I've already managed to get a new carpet offcut that will fit and a large tin of white emulsion from Facebook free stuff sites. Next to try and blag is a single bed and a 'chester draws'. That way I'll be able to afford to buy 2 x new bed linen sets, a duvet/pillows and a few new towels/flannels. Already started buying 2-3 extra non-perishables with the food shop, will continue, so am well stocked if/when the time comes.

There's a large Eastern European population in my area, including social clubs, community centre and countless food shops so hopefully they might meet other Ukranians and find some foods they like.

I do not have a spare room but absolutely will do this when I can afford my extension. And then foster children when mine leave home.

If it does come to citizens opening their homes to Ukrainians (it won’t), then can you imagine all the thread from mumsnetters posting about how their anxiety has gone through the roof since the refugee moved in; clashes between the refugee and children/DH; missing items that the OP wants to know whether to confront the refugee about; threads about the refugee eating too much food / leaving the lights on;

I could go on and on

HQ would have to set to a separate board

“Whinging about guest refugees”

@MayMorris There's no amount of money from taxes that the government could offer which would instantly produce a load of new housing in which to put refugees. Central government has very little housing at all - if they simply opened borders and let in hundreds of thousands, it would fall in local authority homelessness services to try to house them all - they don't have any spare housing and struggle in most areas to cope with the homeless people they already have. Given there are people who would be willing to take some of these refugees, and the refugees are probably very happy to have just a room in a house, why not? I do think we can be human and help one another without always hiding behind "It's the government's job not mine" especially in a crisis.

[quote Firefliess]@MayMorris There's no amount of money from taxes that the government could offer which would instantly produce a load of new housing in which to put refugees. Central government has very little housing at all - if they simply opened borders and let in hundreds of thousands, it would fall in local authority homelessness services to try to house them all - they don't have any spare housing and struggle in most areas to cope with the homeless people they already have. Given there are people who would be willing to take some of these refugees, and the refugees are probably very happy to have just a room in a house, why not? I do think we can be human and help one another without always hiding behind "It's the government's job not mine" especially in a crisis. [/quote]
You realise there are literally thousands of empty houses in every single local authority that could be Commandeered and quickly brought up to standard which may prevent the recession apparently we’re gonna have by throwing funds into the construction industry, getting these houses into the hands of the general population and then if the Ukrainians want to return once that crisis is over we will have some fit for purpose houses that the British population can enjoy.

No…only because I have no spare room and my finances are piss poor right now. Also I have a condition that frequently puts me in hospital and my DM has to take care of youngest DC when I’m not well.

However, if I had the room and finances I would absolutely do this. I have donated to the Red Cross appeal and thank you to the PP who put up the link to the charity Co ordinating this.. I’ll certainly be able to manage a wee donation to them.

@Bringsexyback - No there are not thousands of empty houses in every city that could be easily comendered . Do you really believe that crap? The rates of empty homes in the UK are incredibly low by international standards and almost all are temporarily empty while being sold or renovated, or while their owner is in care or has recently died. A small number are uninhabitable. Even if you decide some of them are "illegitimate" reasons for being empty, the government can't legally requisition them!

@Firefliess - The governments data :

The latest UK Government data shows that over 216,000 homes in England have been empty for over six months. In total, over 600,000 homes are currently vacant in England, more than the UK Government’s housebuilding target of 300,000 per year.

Currently, there are over 80,000 empty homes in Band A for Council Tax, with 97 per cent of local authorities reporting high levels of empty homes, citing owners’ inability to fund repairs as the reason.

It does irritate me all this ‘safeguarding’ waffle.

I’m told my children’s sister, female 20s, is ‘safe’ constantly. Living with unknown people in a foreign country or at points sleeping in a car as a young female in a neighbouring country. Unvetted strangers we’ve never met. But ‘safe’

Yet apparently in the UK that isn’t ‘safe’ if you do that.

She’s been doing this for weeks. But there’s no need to rush her visa to get to our family home in the UK, she’s ‘safe’. I will honestly scream the next time someone says ‘oh but she’s safe’, just because she isn’t being actually bombed. They don’t see why I am so wound up.

Thankfully the Polish have just allowed any one to take a refugee and claim a benefit support for it, otherwise she and many could be freezing on the street without countries that simply opened their doors.

my heart breaks and i am so proud of my fellow human beings who take in refugees