For a group of 250 Ukrainians abandoned in a hotel in Wales, life under the "Homes for Ukrainians" program - so welcoming at the beginning - turns from bad to worse. The Welsh authorities initially promised the families that they would be rehoused within a couple of weeks. Instead, they remained abandoned, in some cases, for more than four months. Sandwiches for dinner every night, worried about how their children will be educated and without any short-term plan for the future, their hopes are dashed.
"It was as if we were thrown into the wilderness," he said Ibrahim Dali, a 25-year-old dentist, originally from Lebanon, but who studied, married and settled in Ukraine, before fleeing the Russian invasion. Five months after the British government set up the Homes for Ukrainians program in response to Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II, trouble is looming for many who have arrived in Britain this way.
A crisis is also in the offing for boards that are in financial trouble, and who are responsible for their well-being. This program, which encountered bureaucratic obstacles at the beginning, although it has proven successful on several occasions, provides shelter to Ukrainian refugees, provided they have a sponsor willing to host them for at least 6 months. As of last Sunday, 127.300 visas had been issued in this way, with a further 49.700 approved in a different way for those whose members are UK residents.
With no sign of an end to the war, problems are cropping up across the board. About a quarter of volunteer hosts said they would not extend their welcome beyond the originally agreed 6 months, according to a survey published last Sunday by the Office for National Statistics. Less than a third would extend it to more than a year. This raises expectations that tens of thousands of Ukrainians will ask local authorities to provide them with housing in the coming months.
"Councils, sponsors and Ukrainian guests need to know what the options are at the end of the 6-month initial positioning period, so they can start planning now," he said. James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association, which represents more than 350 councils across England and Wales.
"There is a significant risk that ... many families will have to present themselves as homeless, due to a lack of sponsors or other options," he added. In an attempt to delay that outcome, the Minister for Migrants, the Lord Richard Harrington this Sunday he said he was in talks with the Treasury about doubling the monthly payments to hosts from £350 to £700 - for those who agreed to extend their welcome beyond 6 months. The opposition Labor Party emphasized the need to reduce the burden on sponsors. Member of Parliament Lisa Nandi, assistant secretary, said last Tuesday:
"If the government does not do something now, it will risk a large number of Ukrainian refugees becoming homeless this winter."
Around 4-5 thousand Ukrainians arrive in the UK every week, Harrington told the Financial Times, adding that he is working with non-profit groups to find new hosts, as well as those who have registered as interested in becoming sponsors. Meanwhile, a separate crisis is brewing in Scotland and Wales, where devolved governments have decided to accept Ukrainians en masse, rather than waiting for individual hosts to come forward before granting visas. Local authorities are overwhelmed and many Ukrainians, like the Afghans and Syrians who came to Britain before them, are trapped in what was supposed to be temporary accommodation. Hundreds, for example, are on cruise ships moored in Leith Harbour, north of Edinburgh.
Ukrainians in Welsh hotels are a diverse group that includes teachers, coders, lawyers and accountants. Despite their qualifications, the job center encouraged many to work at the Tesco supermarket. Dally has found a job running a till at a motorway stop, but is angry because he couldn't take a better offer in Cardiff. The Welsh Government is refusing to give him the help he needs to relocate. One official, who requested anonymity, said local authorities were doing their best to provide opportunities, advice and care for refugees.
"The challenge we have is that they all want to be in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea," they said.
A couple of families left the hotel, incl Maja Krinitska and her son Maika, who fled from the city of Sumy, north of Kiev, at the beginning of the war. She rented church property with the help of the council. However, the vast majority of people staying at the hotel were told last Sunday to find their own rental property, which is difficult in Britain without a credit history. Relations with staff at the hotel became strained, and several migrants reported violent behavior, including when one employee filmed children scraping the small number of bananas on offer at breakfast.
When the Financial Times visited the hotel, management declined to comment. There are a total of 5,087 with sponsors in Wales, of which 2,427 are looked after by the Welsh Government, according to official figures. The Welsh Government said it was "determined to provide people from Ukraine with a safe haven, where they feel safe, welcome and where their privacy is protected". She added that she was "working closely with the center and local authorities to investigate" the issues raised in relation to the hotel.
Many Ukrainians in the hotel paid tribute to the generosity of local communities. Their biggest concern is about education. Elsewhere, Ukrainian children continued their education. A group at the hotel said they had been told only vague plans. "Every couple of weeks we were given a new message," she said Olga, a mother from Dnieper who worked night shifts in Tesco. "Everyone is stressed," she said.
Translation: M. Corović
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