To think Ukrainian families may just have to..

[FindingMyself1999]

Go back? bbc article

such a sad situation but we barely have enough housing or school places as it is. Unless the hosts can act as guarantors? That’s a possibility ?

the government really hasn’t thought through the aftermath of the hosting scheme.

I'm hosting at the moment
I wasn't aware until they got here , that they weren't in Ukraine, I was basically lied to , they were in Holland , I was rather shocked to learn this but what can I do , they are here now
Another point, I've not received any hosting payments 4 months in . The council say that the background checks on me are still not done , although I have provided passport , utilities, etc etc.

I blame the media and previous governments. There has been massive immigration into this country over many many years, legal and illegal yet little real growth in infrastructure. People from abroad are seen as cheap disposable labour rather than real people with a variety of various needs, levels of ability, families. who need housing, social care, education and healthcare. The cost is huge for local councils yet local councils aren’t effectively funded to deliver these services. The media whip up hatred about whoever the last people “in” were instead of actually exposing the real issues which might lead to sensible decision making about resources and ability to look after people. There is no housing left and people are fighting for housing, whether social or rented. It’s horrible and those who have been in government or are in government should be very ashamed.

This is why MN needs a ‘like’ button

We've been hosting a family of 4 (soon to be 5) for 6 months so far. We have no idea how we'll find affordable housing for them, we live in an expensive area and UC will only offer less than half the cost of renting, never mind the crazy utility bills they'll need to pay. Their two little DDs are settled at the local primary school, and have already been through SO much trauma, moving again would be so hard on them.

I'm happy for them to stay indefinitely but DH wants our private space back, which I understand. It's so difficult, though

The hosting Ukraine scheme was appallingly thought out by the Govt from the start, and was clearly just a short term solution with no long term plans. We need to send millions to fight Russia because if we don't, the escalation of Russia being emboldened to invade other countries and also use nuclear weapons without fear of retribution is too frightening. We're protecting ourselves when we protect Ukraine.

We're not protecting ourselves when we send weapons to the Ukraine. We're escalating tensions and prolonging the inevitable - which is peace talks and compromise. It suits the US to have a long bloody war in the Ukraine. There weapons manufacturers will make billions and they are a long way away from the warzone. Unless the West want to send in serious numbers of troops the Ukraine can't win - they can only prolong. It sounds like the kind thing to do to help but it's not. At the start of this conflict the Ukraine was offered peace if it agreed not to join NATO. The helpful West didn't even investigate that offer.

*FindingMyself1999
I am aware of a family where the Ukrainian children were prioritised for a school place as someone else on the waiting list got told they’d gone from 2nd to 6th. So that’s already happened. If we can just support the refugees enough they really will work their socks off to pay their way. They don’t want handouts just ‘stabilising’*

They can work their socks off all they like they've still taken a school place from someone which is utterly wrong.

I’m hosting a family of five. One mother four children. It’s unsustainable but how do you ask them to leave. The government knows that many hosts will feel unable to and will let the arrangement just carry on.

Sadly Putin is the next Hitler and there is no such thing as peace talks or compromise with a person that mad. YEARS of research into Putin shows every single time that he takes negotiation and compromise as nothing but weakness and a signal to be more brutal and dominant, which he always does.

The uK has done very little compared to some other countries - over 1.4 million have applied for temporary settlement in Poland. The UK needs to step up and takes its share.

This is because many schools, particularly good faith ones have criteria that's gives high precedence to families moving into the area. Hence someone moving from another part of the U.K. or abroad can trump a local living down the road. This was a big issue in our area in the run up to the Brexit vote and was a factor. School appeals were rife that year for us because there had been a large move into the area from some EU citizens who displaced a load of local children from the school intake because children moving to the area came higher in the criteria

I have to say though that many schools determine their criteria

That’s absolute bullshit. You need to look up the Budapest Memorandum and understand that Russia has lied so often that it can no longer be trusted. You could also look up some of the speeches and material from Putin declaring that Ukrainian people do not exist as a separate identity. He wanted to quietly commit genocide and creep Russia’s land borders back to - where exactly? Back down the middle of Germany, or further still? - while the West continued their lulled sleep dreaming of gently murmured reassurances.

It suits the US to have a long bloody war in the Ukraine. There weapons manufacturers will make billions and they are a long way away from the warzone.

well Russia is bloody enormous but America is obviously not a long way away from Russia.. there is a section where you can, at times literally walk across the ice from Russia to America.

Can hosts on here say why they want their arrangement to end. The BBC article doesn't really explain why.

In the first case it is obviously a very small space they are sharing and alludes to a 'bereavement' .. whilst the second, where space is not the issue doesn't really explain why at all.

I am just wondering if it is anything to do with the payment and the daft situation where a host is paid £350 regardless of how many people they are hosting.

I host a Ukrainian woman. She is a delight. We have a very small home and therefore not too expensive to heat, however with the aid of my smart meter I have worked out that having her here wfh, whilst I work in my office, costs almost an additional £200 a month in Electricity and heating oil alone. When the host payment is £350 perhaps it simply isn't enough. It's one thing to open your home up to a guest in need. If the costs are covered (such as my case) However the CoL crisis has meant now it actually COSTS hosts if they are hosting more than one person.

I would suggest increasing host payments to those who have hosted more than one guest for 6 months or more (to avoid opportunists) .

A lot cheaper than temp emergency housing.

BewareTheLibrarians thank you for that post. These threads always bring out the bigots.

Increasing payments to hosts is a good idea.

Honestly, knowing what a shit show of a Government we have I cannot believe anyone agreed to this half baked scheme in the first place.

I know the majority of hosts have done it as a good thing to do, however I also think they have been incredibly naive and shortsighted.

Did they think the war would be over in 6 months? If not, what then? And that couple in the article from Oxfordshire who are trying to get Social housing for their guests are obviously seriously out of touch with the reality of that situation.

I questioned this from the start. Whilst I feel deeply sympathetic for the people of Ukraine and what's going on, moving here on paper was a fab idea, but I always questioned where they would live perhaps when their hosts couldn't host them anymore, they can't stay in these homes forever and we have a serious shortage of housing. They seem to be very hard working but the lack of housing is very real!

What? How the fuck do you know who else applied and was added to the waiting list? Did you personally access the in year applications to see who else has applied and measure the distance from their houses to the school gate?

And how can they have been prioritised if they've been added to a waiting list? They're not in school at all when the vast majority of applicants on a waiting list for in year already have a place.

@ClaudineClare bigots or realists?? Wake up we don't have enough housing, schools, etc ffs.

There’s 1300 refugees currently on a ship in Edinburgh, of which about a third a children. I’ve no idea what they’re all doing for school places or how long they’re planning to keep them onboard for but surely it can’t be a long term solution!

And other countries do have?

@Parker231 I don't know why would I care, I'm talking about this country.

That’s fine, not everyone has to feel the way I do. I’ve been on the waiting list for years. For me personally I can’t get worked up about refugees getting houses above me, because then I’d have to be upset at single mothers, disabled people, and everyone else who has gotten once with less than a wait for me.

I am however very annoyed with the government, not just for the lack of council housing but also for the housing crisis in general. If rent and buying were more affordable then less people would need council housing. If they took the amount I pay in rent, and have paid for years and years without fail, they would see actually yes I can afford to pay a bigger mortgage - I’ve been paying someone else’s mortgage and then some for over a decade after all!

From the many posts on here, your last point is contrast to what many seem to want tbh