New support package announced under Homes for Ukraine Scheme

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In recognition of the rising cost of living, and as a ‘thank you’ for ongoing support from hosts, a £650 million support package has been announced as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

All sponsors will receive £500 a month, where they have been hosting Ukrainians in their homes for over 12 months. These ‘thank you’ payments are due to continue until the two-year mark so that those who are not yet ready to move into independent accommodation can remain with their hosts, where both parties are willing to extend the arrangements.

It is hoped that the package will encourage new hosts to come forward so that those under the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be re-matched and re-housed. But in cases where hosts cannot continue to sponsor Ukrainians staying with them:

“councils in all parts of the UK will receive help to house Ukrainians through a one-off pot of government funding worth £150 million, as well as a new £500m Local Authority Housing Fund in England. Local Authorities are best placed to understand the support needed for local communities and, as is typically the case for various local authority funding, they will also be able to use this £150 million of funding to support other people at risk of homelessness.”

The fund is expected to provide up to 4,000 homes to those in need by 2024.

The statement also confirms that:

“In light of wider pressures on the public finances and to reflect the fact that a fraction of Ukrainian arrivals return to Ukraine, after arriving in the UK, the Government is having to take tough decisions including to reduce the council tariff to £5,900 per person for arrivals entering the UK from 1 January 2023.
Councils will continue to receive the previous year one amount for any Ukrainian already in the UK. Local Authorities will continue to receive separate funding in 2022-23 for the Ukraine education tariff under the rates and terms previously set out (a per child tariff of £3,000 for early years, £6,580 for primary and £8,755 for secondary and payments calculated on a pro-rata basis); and the Ukrainians families will also continue to receive government support on skills training, job centre access and welfare payments.”