Refugees from Ukraine arrive in Poland
(Picture: AP)More than 150,000 Britons have signed up to offer accommodation to Ukrainian refugees.
Refugee minister Lord Harrington told MPs he expects thousands of evacuees to arrive next week under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
The programme aims to match refugees with individuals, charities and other organisations who can provide accommodation for at least six months.
It has not estimated how many Ukrainians will take advantage of the scheme and the government has not put a cap on numbers.
Households and organisations that have signed up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme must name a refugee or family they wish to resettle.
A second stage of the scheme will open on Friday when British hosts can start the visa application for their matched refugees.
Robina Qureshi, director of Positive Action in Housing, claimed the scheme is a “smokescreen” and distraction from what really needs to happen.
She has called for the removal of the visa requirement for Ukrainians to come to the UK which is in line with the policy adopted by other European countries.
Ms Qureshi said she expects just a “trickle” of refugees to arrive through the scheme due to the difficulties of finding a sponsor while abroad.
She added: “Are some of the people going to be alive by the time the process has been gone through?
“They should be letting people in now, but the Government is doing to refugees what they’ve done to the Syrians and to Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust, and what they’re doing is to reduce to an absolute minimum the number of refugees making their way to the UK in the midst of the worst refugee crisis since World War Two.”
Positive Action in Housing runs Room for Refugees – the UK’s longest running refugee hosting programme which has been in place since 2002.
It is receiving around 40 calls and up to 150 emails an hour from Britons who want to offer accommodation to Ukrainian refugees, Ms Qureshi said.
Almost 70 Ukrainian refugee families have registered with the charity - including 60 children and several heavily pregnant women currently in Ukraine, France, Poland, Belgium and Germany.
Ms Qureshi suggested many people who have expressed interest in the scheme could withdraw upon realising they don’t have “the physical or mental room”.
She said: “We do not have half a hosting program in place. All they’ve got is expressions of interest – they have not identified individuals to match them up…
“This is an illusion of people helping because they’re distracting from the fact that they haven’t lifted visa restrictions.”
Shadow levelling up and housing secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the scheme’s launch but said there remains a “worrying lack of engagement with local councils and charities”.
She said: “They stand ready to do their job but, unless the government steps up and provides clear guidance, we risk squandering the amazing generosity of people who have offered to open their homes.
“Getting Ukrainian families here quickly is vital so they are secure and there is certainty for those welcoming them. The biggest barriers are excessive bureaucracy and the DIY nature of this scheme. The Government needs to cut unnecessary paperwork and play an active role in matching sponsors to refugees.”
