thread for those interested in refugee hosting/sponsorship

[EezyOozy]

I thought I would start a new thread about this as I have just heard on BBC news that they are opening up a web form tomorrow to express interest. Apparently families/households can claim £350 a month (I assume for increased expenses) and refugees will be eligible to claim or benefits and work. We have large a spare room but live rurally so whilst I will express interest I'm not sure we will be taken up on it.

I thought I would start a new thread for those who are interested and to follow the progress of the registration procedure/how this pans out in practice.

Posted here because it's the only place I know gets plenty traffic, I will probably be asking for this to be moved but don't know where to.

There doesn’t seem to be any information on your options if it doesn’t work out. We had discussed doing this and DH surprised me by saying that he thought it was a good idea, but then he thought some more and was concerned about what we would do if it went wrong. Unless there’s some kind of process or guidance on that, I don’t think we’ll be able to participate

@QueenOfThorns

There doesn’t seem to be any information on your options if it doesn’t work out. We had discussed doing this and DH surprised me by saying that he thought it was a good idea, but then he thought some more and was concerned about what we would do if it went wrong. Unless there’s some kind of process or guidance on that, I don’t think we’ll be able to participate

I agree. I can understand them wanting you to commit in principle to take someone for 6 months or more - they don't want people signing up if their room is only free for a few weeks. Legally I'm pretty sure you can ask a lodger to leave any time you like, for any reason. But it would be good to know that a local agency or something would step in to try to find the refugee somewhere else if that happened and you wouldn't be leaving them destitute.

@Rvah99877

Does anyone know if they will be receiving support from a case worker / council worker on things like admin, finding work, English lessons etc. we have plenty of space and I really want to help but what I don’t have is loads of time as I have a 3 month old and 2 year old. I really want to help but realistically not gonna have time to be offering loads of additional support or cooking meals but I’m guessing it’s just accommodation and anything extra is nice but not expected

There will definitely be extra help needed. But perhaps you and some friends/neighbours could share the burden a bit. If you're providing accommodation, maybe someone else could help them with the life admin side of things. Someone in another thread mentioned the Canadian approach which was 5 host families to welcome one refugee family. It avoids hosts feeling too overwhelmed with the responsibility if the 5 host families can split up the different types of help that are needed.

@DoggerelBank yes good idea..my mum has offered help as she can’t provide a spare room but said she will help my financially for food etc if required or any other help they need. She’s also a feeder so no doubt will turn up with lots of meals!

[quote Rvah99877]@DoggerelBank yes good idea..my mum has offered help as she can’t provide a spare room but said she will help my financially for food etc if required or any other help they need. She’s also a feeder so no doubt will turn up with lots of meals![/quote]
Or even invite the guests to hers for x number of meals a week? Give host and guests a break from each other.

i am worried aobut those that arent tech savvie, at both ends,
the older people with no children
who will rehouse them?

This Canadian idea of five supportive families to one supported family seems bang on.

We each contribute our bit of the jigsaw, and are not ruled out if we can't provide the entire checklist on our own.

Does any one know whether we will pay tax on the £350 and will we lose our 25% council tax reduction?

I’ve read somewhere that’s it’s no to both - will try and find the link

@QueenOfThorns

There doesn’t seem to be any information on your options if it doesn’t work out. We had discussed doing this and DH surprised me by saying that he thought it was a good idea, but then he thought some more and was concerned about what we would do if it went wrong. Unless there’s some kind of process or guidance on that, I don’t think we’ll be able to participate

Legally if they're in your spare room they'll be lodgers (legal term: excluded occupiers). This gives them far fewer rights than a regular tenant. You'd just need to give them "reasonable notice" to leave.

What's reasonable is up for debate. You might assume a couple of weeks for someone who could move on quite easily. Probably best to assume a bit more time for a refugee who would need more help finding accommodation. But less if they'd done something completely unacceptable like kicking the dog.

There will be something in the terms and conditions people sign up to when they accept the cash; likely the only recourse government might have would be to recover payments made for accommodation not provided.

@MrsLargeEmbodied

i am worried aobut those that arent tech savvie, at both ends, the older people with no children who will rehouse them?

This scheme will certainly favour young social media savvy English speakers - but to be blunt those are probably the people the government is most keen to attract as they'll likely get a job, fill some labour market shortages, and start paying taxes much more quickly than some other groups.

I doubt it's an accident.

Legally if they're in your spare room they'll be lodgers (legal term: excluded occupiers). This gives them far fewer rights than a regular tenant. You'd just need to give them "reasonable notice" to leave.

Thank you, but that’s not really the concern. We couldn’t chuck a vulnerable family out on to the street just because their kids and mine can’t tolerate each other (for example)! The worry is that there’d be no process in place to find them somewhere else in that kind of situation, so we’d feel stuck.

@QueenOfThorns

Legally if they're in your spare room they'll be lodgers (legal term: excluded occupiers). This gives them far fewer rights than a regular tenant. You'd just need to give them "reasonable notice" to leave.

Thank you, but that’s not really the concern. We couldn’t chuck a vulnerable family out on to the street just because their kids and mine can’t tolerate each other (for example)! The worry is that there’d be no process in place to find them somewhere else in that kind of situation, so we’d feel stuck.

Well yes this is a valid concern!

For the pre existing charitable schemes like Refugees at Home, they are very willing to move people along if things aren't working out. However, they don't house kids and there's no £350 a month.

Hopefully this sort of thing will be clarified in the coming days.

My main concern is that since our health service, and particularly mental health, is desperately overstretched, it will be very difficult to access the kind of support that refugees will need. This is what the Refugee Council says about the scheme:

“By establishing a visa route and naming scheme, it will inevitably be restricted to those who are known to people in the UK and be a quite complex lengthy visa application process. A humanitarian crisis requires a speedy and compassionate response not one that puts bureaucratic hurdles ahead of the immediate needs of people whose lives have been ripped apart.

“We are also worried about ensuring the safety and wellbeing for Ukrainians who have fled bloodshed, and the level of support available for their sponsors. We are talking about very traumatised women and children whose experiences are unique, and the level of support needs to match that. It’s like asking people to be foster carers without any robust checks, training or having a social worker in place to support them."

I really want to help but with the best will in the world I wouldn't know how to look after people who are grieving and severely traumatised.

I also think there should be a proper system of matching sponsors with refugees. As Lisa Nandy said, are people fleeing war just supposed to advertise themselves on Instagram?

Maybe these problems will be resolved - I hope so. I will be watching this thread with interest and I hope I will feel able to sign up if the government progresses from its back-of-an-envelope approach.

@68marmite

reading all the posts. Its a very privileged self indulgence to start the response with how it may unsettle and inconvinence your way of life for a short while...... Seriously get a grip!!! Flip the situation... The experience for households with children i only see the benefit to make sence of what is happening and the values of humanity. Yes i have children yes i have a spare room and yes i will register.

This response was a massive overreaction and a bit dramatic. You didn't read the OP?

After the initial hesitation due to finances, I’ve signed up for this. Worked out that the payment would cover increase in costs. I thought we had to provide food etc but we don’t which was pointed out up the thread.

I’ve also told a Ukrainian friend that my rooms are available for her family if she can persuade them to leave.
My son is very much in support of this, he’s 12. He heard it in the radio and asked if we could go this.
I’ve had lodgers in the past and knew very little about them and so don’t feel this is any different.

I imagine you'll provide food for the first month or so while everything is sorted!

@notsure75 I don't think you should be embarrassed about the size or decor of your home.

Imagine your home was bombed. Your street ruined. You have nowhere to go and no possessions except what you can carry.

Now imagine someone tells you that you can stay with them- they welcome you into their home. Would you feel critical of the size of their home or how well decorated it was? Or would you just feel safe...

The Refugees council response seems a bit odd. They seem to be simultaneously arguing for fewer checks, and for more checks! I'm not sure it's very helpful to equate taking a a refugee lodger to being a foster carer either - adults don't need the same care as children, even if they are sterling into a new country. And what's their better suggestion? Competing with homeless UK households for the cheapest BnB accommodation with no support at all? Their isn't a worldwide supply of expertly trained people to "foster" refugees is there? But the people need housing.

@MrsLargeEmbodied

i am worried aobut those that arent tech savvie, at both ends, the older people with no children who will rehouse them?

We would. We don’t really want children, we’re too old and easily irritated. The ideal for us would be older people around our age.

I imagine you'll provide food for the first month or so while everything is sorted

Yes. I doubt the first payment or benefits will start before they arrive. So best people are aware of this.

My only reservations are what if you encounter difficulties …maybe you get unlucky and matched with a mum who is an alcoholic and beats her kids up for example! I’m sure this is unlikely and we have signed up to this but it will be one of my questions before committing..I don’t want people to become homeless if it doesn’t work out and it would have to be something severe for me to break the commitment (e.g not being untidy!) ..but as we have young kids I obviously worry about the worst case scenarios.

‘There are some lovely videos on YouTube of Ukrainian children starting school in France and Italy and the welcome the schools gave them. I hope U.K. schools are as good.’

Meanwhile a Syrian refugee child is beaten up in a racist attack at school and it’s posted on YouTube for people to attack them again online. They then have to contend with people like Tommy Robinson calling them names and accusing them of all kinds and end up having to take him to court and relive their trauma.

Can we say no smoking tho, as DH cannot bear it and coughs incessantly.

@JackieWeaverHandforthCouncil this thread is for those supporting Ukrainians. Not stirring up trouble. You posted on the other thread which is about this topic...no need to bring it here when there is already a specific thread about that topic...which you are on. This thread isn’t the place ...