Gloucestershire Ukrainian host families to get more cash

There are 550 families in Gloucestershire taking part in the Homes for Ukraine scheme

Families hosting Ukrainian refugees are to receive extra payments to cover rising bills.

Gloucestershire County Council currently pays £350 a month for 12 months.

That will increase, with hosts receiving a £375 "thank you" bonus to cover the cost of living, and an extra £100 a month for the second six months.

Host families say they want councils to do more to help their guests into the private rented sector.

Olha Shchupakovska and her two daughters fled the war in May, and live with host Amanda Aitkenhead in Wotton-under-Edge.

"I am happy now and my children, we are safe. I am really grateful for this," she said.

Olha Shchupakovska has a daughter studying at UWE and another in a local school

Ms Aitkenhead said that no-one hosts Ukrainians for the money, it is about caring for those fleeing the bombing.

But she has welcomed the extra payments for hosting Ms Shchupakovska and her two daughters.

Amanda Aitkenhead welcomed in her Ukrainian guests in May

"We've noticed the difference in our bills. Everybody showers and everybody bathes. These guys have an amazing ability in the kitchen, and that has a cost element too," she said.

There are a total of 550 host families in Gloucestershire at the moment.

The county's Director of Public Health, Siobhan Farmer, hopes the extra payments will keep hosts and guests together as the cost of living rises.

"We want to give the Ukrainian guests a chance to look for work. The private rented sector is very challenging at the moment, so it gives them time to look into the right place for them to move into."

Siobhan Farmer from Gloucestershire County Council hopes the increase in payments will keep hosts and guests together

Ms Shchupakovska has a daughter studying at the University of the West of England, and another in a local school. Returning to her home town south of Kyiv is "impossible, too dangerous," she said.

Her host worries that it will be hard for her to move into the private rented sector.

"She doesn't have any credit history here. We struggle to give her any identification, she doesn't appear on any of our bills."

Carly Fields from Stroud Ukrainian Refugee Community Support wants councils to help set up tenancies

Carly Fields from the Stroud Ukrainian Refugee Community Support group wants the council to help by acting as a guarantor for Ukrainians dealing with private landlords.

"We potentially have families who are going to end up homeless. There are long lists for council housing in every area. We have to remind ourselves these are people who have fled a war."

The council is looking into a scheme run in Bristol where the authorities pay a £1,000 thank you payment to landlords, and pay six months rent in advance for those in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

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