Many Ukrainian refugees in Wales ‘on the point of homelessness’

Luke James

Many Ukrainian refugees in Wales face being made homeless as support is phased out amid a growing housing crisis, charities have told Nation.Cymru.

Over 7,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Wales since Russia launched its invasion two years ago.

As the conflict enters its third year, many of the 4,000 Ukrainians who were hosted in people’s homes are seeking their own accommodation.

The Welsh Government is also phasing out its own scheme which saw another 3,000 accommodated in hotels, holiday parks and university halls across the country.

Stressed

“Welcome centres are closing down,” said Helen McAdie of the Ukraine solidarity hub in Cardiff’s Capitol Centre. “It’s a huge problem because social housing is very difficult to get.

“So we are seeing a lot of people who are very stressed on the point of homelessness.

“Landlords don’t like people if they are on universal credit and don’t have a guarantor.

“Their only other option was to move to north Wales. It’s really difficult for people who have been here for two years and set up links in Cardiff.”

Welcome centres were only meant to provide temporary accommodation but the housing crisis meant that some refugees are still living there 18 months after arriving.

The last two centres in the south have been closed, meaning those who can’t find accommodation need to move to the last two centres in the north.

But they are also due to close later this year, leaving some refugees at risk of homelessness if they don’t accept alternative accommodation.

Trauma

“There are people who have suffered significant trauma and have not really been able to adapt,” said Nicholas Wysoczanskyj, the Ukraine manager at the Wales Refugee Council.

“Getting them to take accommodation somewhere where they have no connection would mean another disruption to their lives and often outside of an area that they’ve developed an attachment to.

“But if they continue to refuse offers, they will eventually find that the initial accommodation facilities that they’re in will close. That leaves really only one safety net which is the homelessness system.”

Among those to have faced homelessness are Yevheniia Rizina and her mother, Svitlana, who arrived in Wales in May 2022 after escaping Kryvyi Rih, a city in the south east of Ukraine which has been subject to deadly missile attacks.

“We were greeted wonderfully and helped to adapt here,” said Yevheniia, who initially lived with a host family in Cardiff.

Life in Wales became more complicated when they began looking for a place of their own.

“We lived for six months in a hotel, having homeless status,” she added. “Unfortunately, Wales has an extreme housing shortage and it is very difficult to find accommodation.

“Not knowing the laws, the difference in mentality and ignorance of English at the level of a native speaker often plays a cruel joke on us and gives rise to misunderstandings. Very often we don’t know who to turn to for advice.”

Yevheniia and Svitlana eventually found a “wonderful apartment in a cozy area” with the help of their Welsh friends.

While the majority of refugees initially housed by the Government have found private accommodation, many of those who came to stay with individual sponsors are still living with their hosts.

Hosted relationships 

“A lot of the Ukrainians are reliant on hosted relationships because of affordability issues,” said Wysoczanskyj. “A single person might not even be able to afford a room. A hosted relationship is the only solution available to them but hosts are very thin on the ground.”

Some Ukrainians were able to save money while staying with host families, allowing them to offer a large bond, or even rent for the entire duration of a contract, to reluctant private sector landlords.

But there is concern that the one off nature of that support means many Ukrainians face being made homeless when their contracts come up for renewal.

The short-term visas being offered to Ukrainians – the UK Government announced an 18-month extension earlier this week – is also contributing to insecurity, the Refugee Council believes.

“Ultimately, it’s that insecurity that’s stopping people from saying ‘actually I will do that three year university course, I will commit to staying here’,” said Wysoczanskyj.

“And that means people still end up in low paid jobs and at some point they’re going to find themselves very stretched financially when it comes to renewing rentals in the future.

“We’ve done a lot to get people into the private rented sector and that’s been fantastic but my fear is that we may have set a large number of people up for a fall just six months or a year down the line depending on their rental contract.”