Homes for Ukraine: finally, a refugee programme we can be proud of
by Archbishop Cranmer:
It has taken a while, but the UK now has a compassionate refugee programme responsive to the crisis unfolding in Ukraine, which is the worst refugee crisis seen in Europe since the end of World War II. It is a programme which is generous and welcoming, and one of which we can be proud, not least because ordinary people in ordinary homes in ordinary communities will take the lead, and the Government will contribute modestly to the costs of their hospitality.
‘Homes for Ukraine’ is the programme: if you know a refugee you want to support, or find a refugee family through social media or an NGO, you can apply together to be paired up. The application will be vetted digitally for any security issues, but in an age of malign political infiltration and suicidal terrorism, this is a sensible precaution.
The programme also allows churches, charities, refugee and diaspora organisations to vet and approve groups of sponsors to take groups of refugees. This should enable the scheme to grow with speed and scale. Hosts will be given £350/month to help defray expenses. Some say this isn’t enough to feed and care for a Ukrainian family, but it isn’t supposed to be: the founding ethos of ‘Homes for Ukraine’ is individual compassion, benevolence and generosity; not the prospect of breaking even or making a profit.
Most importantly, refugees will be able to work in the UK, and then access all the benefits and services of the State – but not housing, because that will be provided by individuals and communities themselves. The offer by the sponsor is for a home for six months. It isn’t clear what happens thereafter, but in a community-led fraternal approach, refugees aren’t going to be left homeless on the streets. It is simply a case of the government trusting this ‘bottom-up’ hospitality, and supporting those who open their homes to those in need.
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