As part of its ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme, the UK government has offered an additional £150 million to assist Ukrainian refugees in finding accommodation and employment in the UK.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities said that it would commit an additional £150 million ($188 million) in taxpayer funds to help Ukrainian families rent their own houses and find work in the UK.
“The UK has an honourable tradition of offering shelter to those fleeing the horrors of war,” UK Housing Minister Felicity Buchan said
“Sadly, the fighting in Ukraine shows no sign of ending soon, so we are appealing for more people to become hosts while providing councils with this additional funding to support guests into long-term housing.”
To date, the Homes for Ukraine scheme has seen over 124,000 Ukrainians relocate to Britain following the Russian invasion of their country last February.
The refugee resettlement programme involves Ukrainians finding a “sponsor” in the UK, to provide space in their own homes to those fleeing from the war. Hosts in the UK are entitled to receive a monthly government “thank you” monthly stipend of £350 during the first year, and £500 a month during the following year.
The generous scheme comes amid a wider effort of supporting the Ukrainian government in its efforts to fend off the Russians, with the government committing £4.6 billion in military aid to Kyiv since the invasion.
Homes for Ukraine has not come without criticism, however, with the British Red Cross complaining earlier this year that many accommodations provided for free to the Eastern European refugees were “inappropriate”.