Fund for Ukrainian refugee hosting scheme extended

City of York Council said 410 people from Ukraine had been hosted in the city

Funding for a scheme to host Ukrainian refugees in York has been extended.

A £656,000 budget for the Homes for Ukraine programme has been approved by City of York Council for the coming financial year.

By November 2024, 410 Ukrainians had arrived in the city, and 85 were still living with hosts.

The funding was needed as there was an "ongoing need for support as new guests have continued to arrive in York," council officers said.

The launch of the scheme in March 2022 followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine the previous month.

Homes for Ukraine, otherwise known as the Ukrainian Sponsorship Scheme, allows UK households to sponsor arrivals if they agree to house them for at least six months.

In York, the majority of Ukrainians who arrived as part of the scheme are now living in privately rented homes, while 3% are in social housing and 8% have returned to Ukraine, council figures show.

The £656,000 fund will be used to pay for three workers and a manager to help people housed in the city, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It will also fund trauma support for children, English lessons and employment assistance.

York's City of Sanctuary migrant and refugee body has overseen the application process while also supporting arrivals and hosts.

Councils including York receive £5,900 per arrival if they came to the UK after January 2023 to help them rebuild their lives and resettle into local communities.

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