Fears thousands of Ukrainian refugees across the West Country could be made homeless
Charities in the West Country are warning thousands of Ukrainian refugees could be made homeless, as many hosts reach the end of their six-month commitment to house them.
The charity Barnardo's claims its analysis of ONS data reveals a fifth of hosts can only provide accommodation for six months and just a quarter have the means to host for more than 12 months.
That means out of the 85,000 Ukrainians who arrived in the UK this year, 15,000 could face homelessness by Christmas, with that figure rising to 50,000 by next summer.
Ukrainian refugees can apply to live and work in the UK for three years, but many are finding it difficult to find their own accommodation. Obstacles include having to pay large deposits for some properties and credit history checks.
The official government response for refugees facing eviction is for them to be matched with a different sponsor in another homestay, but people who have gone through this process have told ITV News it can cause disruption and affect issues such as school places for children.
Chris Gardner from Helping Children of Ukraine in St Austell says he is concerned the situation will add to Cornwall's existing homeless problem.
"We believe people are going to have to find their own accommodation after either six months or a year, unless the host family is willing to continue with them for a longer period of time.
"We haven't been reassured in any way. The financial support to the host family is £350 a month, which is not a great deal of money, not particularly with the financial news we are dealing with right now.
"It doesn't matter whether you're taking in a single lady or a family of five, you're still only getting the £350, more as a 'thank you' than anything else.
"We can't afford to add to that great problem that exists in our county. You're bringing somebody to give them a safe haven away from a war, to allow them to bring up their children in safety and, potentially, we're going to be bouncing them around all over the place.
"There are a number of families already in temporary accommodation, in hotels and motels around the country, awaiting a more permanent location. It is the beginning of a serious problem."
Sofiia Volobyk, who is now Chair of Swindon Welcomes Ukraine, arrived in Wiltshire five months ago with her mother and sister.
She says she now feels settled after an initial struggle to find the right hosts: "We realised that there wasn't enough space for three of us so that's why the Swindon Borough Council tried to find us new sponsors.
"Local people were very supportive, one family with a bigger house said they would be happy to welcome us."
Kris Talikowski is a host in Swindon who has started the 'Bikes for Ukraine' scheme to help donate bikes for refugees in the community.
He is hopeful there will be a government announcement soon for more support going forward:
"If those payments are increased that will help even more and remove any of that stress around costs and electricity and fuel costs, especially going into the winter."