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Original poster

Are you thinking of taking in Ukrainians?

128 replies

Lostmyname · 14/03/2022 12:18

Came here thinking there would be thread about this, apologies if I've missed it.
We are a family of three with a spare room and I feel like this is something we could do, but am I seeing it through rose-tinted glasses? DH and kids on board with it.

OP posts:
Oblomov22 · 14/03/2022 16:02

No. No spare room. No confidence in government that after the 6 months, we wouldn't be left still having them.

Henlie · 14/03/2022 16:04

No. Sounds like a nice thing to do in theory but I imagine in reality it will be fraught with problems

This…! The only way I would consider doing this is if we had a separate annex to our house with its own entrance along with kitchen/sitting room/bedroom etc, so they could live independently but still have you around if they needed. I couldn’t live with strangers day in day out in my own house unfortunately.

Nicolarer · 14/03/2022 16:08

Only if they were fluent in English, as that is what. we speak at home, with the exception of an elderly relative.

willynillysillybilly · 14/03/2022 16:11

Conceptually this sounds like a great idea that solves all problems but the reality is there are so many obstacles. We are already finding things tough housing/ feeding ourselves atm and I really value my privacy- I would struggle to have my own extended family for 3 weeks never mind strangers for 6 mths. For example, they will obviously have no means to finances, so will they be sitting in my house whilst I go to work, using the heating/ electric/ food? I mean I just couldn't afford to keep another family. I feel incredibly selfish saying it butI have young children whose safety and happiness comes first. But I'd willingly give money and donate clothes etc. It's an incredibly sad situation but I unfortunately wouldn't be up for hosting a family for realistically an indefinite period of time.

Aquamarine1029 · 14/03/2022 16:12

Absolutely not.

MrsJorahMormont · 14/03/2022 16:18

We have considered it but the cost of living is rising so sharply I don't think £350 a month will cover half the cost of housing a family.

Gonnagetgoing · 14/03/2022 16:20

@MrsJorahMormont - that's the same dilemma I have. I'm thinking of renting out a room in my house anyway due to increased cost of living - I do have a spare box room but I'm not sure I really want to be worrying about people using excess electricity etc.

For me too, I'd prefer it if I could understand them. I have friends who are Polish and speak Russian so suppose it could work well for them.

Gonnagetgoing · 14/03/2022 16:22

@Oblomov22

No. No spare room. No confidence in government that after the 6 months, we wouldn't be left still having them.
@Oblomov22 - exactly - it's all very well saying 6 months but what happens after that? Where do they go? I'd feel awful if I let a family stay but then as often happens guests are great but after 6 months I think that'd be my limit, but I'd feel awful if they had to leave and had nowhere to go.
CannaBelieve · 14/03/2022 16:24

@AlternativePerspective

Surely all the spare rooms in the UK are taken up by refugees from other conflicts already? Afghanistan/Syria etc? No?

I have read that Poland have already specified that they want white refugees only, and it seems that people in the UK are more or less saying here that now we’re talking about white people we should all step up and do something.

There are 1. Million Syrian refugees still looking for homes, and yet we can apparently find homes for an unlimited number of Ukrainians overnight.

TBH I think that this will be fraught with issues. Safeguarding on both sides, you have no idea who you are letting into your home, and equally refugees have no idea who they will be staying with.

I suspect the amount of people saying they will be signing up will outweigh the ones who actually do. Talk is cheap.

theres always one!
Xiaoxiong · 14/03/2022 16:24

I looked into it for Syrian and Afghan refugees and was told the same as @Holidayreservation. I didn't want a man I didn't know living in my house with my young children as I felt it was a safeguarding risk.

Women and children are a completely different risk profile.

AlwaysLatte · 14/03/2022 16:28

Yes we've offered our Annexe and rental house.

RestingMurderousFace · 14/03/2022 16:32

Hell no, my idea of hell is living with other people, let alone strangers. Happy to donate though.

Wiltshire90 · 14/03/2022 16:41

[quote LaraDeSalle]Does your virtue signalling extend to taking in Nigerian Christians who are persecuted ever day and have been for years and who’s deaths in recent years far outweigh any that have been killed in Ukraine recently?

www.christian.org.uk/news/dramatic-rise-in-persecution-of-christians-in-nigeria/[/quote]
🙄

worriedmum2022 · 14/03/2022 16:42

I saw on the news that people were only being offered £350 per month - not exactly enough to cover bills and food but local authorities were getting a huge amount of money
Hardly fair

Justkeeppedaling · 14/03/2022 16:43

Absolutely, yes. The difference between these refugees and others is that they are predominantly women and children. It's nothing to do with religion, skin colour, or anything else.

CannaBelieve · 14/03/2022 16:44

@worriedmum2022

I saw on the news that people were only being offered £350 per month - not exactly enough to cover bills and food but local authorities were getting a huge amount of money Hardly fair
Ukrainian people will get benefits though...so can pay for some things themselves. and they can work. the £350 is a 'thank you' it said on news this morning
Justkeeppedaling · 14/03/2022 16:47

Is the £350 tax free? Not that it makes any difference, we'd take them without payment. It doesn't cost a lot more to bung a few extra sausages on, and a few more potatoes into the mash.

chipshopElvis · 14/03/2022 16:50

We're having a very serious consideration about converting our living room into a bed room/sitting room. My reservation is that we only have one small bathroom, family of four. This wouldn't have been possible for us before for someone accuses me of racism as we wouldn't have had space previously. I think our set up is probably less than ideal and others will have a better offering so might depend on the numbers that want to come.

FunkyPhantom · 14/03/2022 17:14

Surely it will also depend on their vaccination status whether they'll be allowed straight in to people's homes.

Or are we not doing COVID this month ??

Devil's advocate post 😁👍

Wonnle · 14/03/2022 17:17

I can understand the sentiment in doing this but as has been mentioned these people are potential trauma victims or worse , who know what you could end up with .

Wonnle · 14/03/2022 17:18

@FunkyPhantom

Surely it will also depend on their vaccination status whether they'll be allowed straight in to people's homes.

Or are we not doing COVID this month ??

Devil's advocate post 😁👍

Covid is no longer a problem in England it seems
LondonJax · 14/03/2022 17:22

I think there's a few questions that aren't answered by the scheme yet which could be important.

  1. Usually, if you have a lodger, you need to tell your mortgage company that you're taking in a lodger as they have a vested interest in your home (they part own it after all). Does that still apply as this is an emergency situation (are refugees lodgers in this case??) and will mortgage providers be OK with it - I can't find the answer to that, albeit with a quick Google search.

  2. Same goes for home insurance. Axa has said they are happy to support the scheme and it won't cause any issues around their policies. But other (again, quick search) insurers don't have anything supporting it on their websites. So probably best to call them before you agree to anything or you could find yourself uninsured if a Ukrainian family member has an accident or damages your property in some way.

  3. And it may be worth talking to the Council about Council Tax. If you're getting the single person's discount for Council Tax, a lodger can mean that's taken away. Does the same apply to a refugee?

There are a lot of questions around this that the Government don't seem to be covering at the moment. I'm guessing that will all become clearer at some point.

AlternativePerspective · 14/03/2022 17:27

Women and children are a completely different risk profile. do you have a cut-off for children though?

A lot of people saying that they will take in women and primary-aged children, but what about teenage children? Some of who will be boys? IIRC it’s only over 16’s who are being conscripted, so there are going to be a lot of teenagers in this mix as well.

There’s currently a thread in chat for people who are going to sign up. It has hardly any posts.

I suspect that once the portal opens there will be a news headline on how many people signed up in the first day etc. will be interesting to see how many actually do vs how many have said they will.

BirdOnTheWire · 14/03/2022 17:31

There will be very few people signing up for this
I rather suspect that the prospect of £350 towards rising bills will mean people sign up for the wrong reasons.

DH and I are talking about it. We have lots of space, could offer a bedroom and separate sitting room, don't need the money. We live in a village in the sticks like a pp said it might be difficult transport wise. I would not want small children but teenagers fine or adult women of any age.
It's a big commitment.

piratehugs · 14/03/2022 17:32

I am kind of torn on this. I wouldn't want to share my home with someone I don't know. Visitors you can't get rid of for months! It's hard enough living with my family and I love them. I'd hate it. I'm not the right personality to handle it. I haven't raised it with DP but I'm sure he would be strongly against it, more for safeguarding/cost reasons.

But then I think about how my Grandad was brought up - my great grandparents brought all kinds of people home to stay with them and struck up friendships with refugees and prisoners of war. They put their trust in other people and were kind. Yes, I expect there were all sorts of problems and annoyances that have been forgotten over time, but it gave my Grandad a broad-minded, caring view of other people and the rest of the world. I wish I had the guts to do the same for refugees now and to show my own children to be kind.

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