THE Scottish Government has faced criticism after renewing calls for Scots to open their homes to displaced Ukrainians.
Speaking at the Association for Ukrainians in Edinburgh during the launch of a new campaign to encourage more hosts to come forward, Sheila McNeil – who currently hosts two Ukrainians in her home in Edinburgh – said that there was very little support available for hosts or refugees.
“I think it’s an absolutely fantastic thing to do but the hosts need to know that there is no support,” she said.
She detailed how mother and daughter Olga, 69, and Maria, 31, ended up living with her after being placed in unsuitable accommodation by a previous host.
She said: “They came to a sponsor in Bathgate through Homes for Ukraine. They were promised a one-bedroom flat. It ended up being a caravan with no toilet or shower, which were located in a shipping container across the street.
“They were told every day for a week that the keys to their new home were coming. They realised after a week that they weren’t.
“They took up the five nights free accommodation that hotels were offering at the time before finding me through a charity.”
McNeil stated that Olga and Maria’s previous host and the accommodation he offered had not been subject to checks by the Scottish Government.
She claimed her home was only checked around 24 weeks after Olga and Maria began staying with her and called on the Scottish Government to provide more support to hosts.
“The first week they came to me I tried to find out if there was some sort of checklist for hosts to help their guests. There was nothing.”
According to McNeil, the responsibility of ensuring that Olga and Maria completed the necessary processes to get National Insurance numbers, apply for Universal Credit, and register with a GP was left to her.
After meeting with McNeil, refugees minister Neil Gray said that the Scottish Government would be learning lessons from her experience.
“With this new scheme we are learning what has happened with the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme to make sure that we are able to provide a scheme that works well for everybody involved.
“We have people employed by every local authority in Scotland to ensure that the experience, that warm Scottish welcome that we’re wanting to see, is being delivered on the ground.”
He added that help and support was available for hosts and refugees.
“In Edinburgh, for instance, there’s the Welcome Hub arrangements. People can go there to get advice and support, whether that’s Ukrainians or hosts.
“There’s information available on the Scottish Government’s website and ultimately they can also get in touch with the Scottish Government and ask questions about what additional help or support they might need.”
More than 20,000 displaced Ukrainians have arrived in Scotland so far.
However, many remain in temporary accommodation, including on two cruise ships chartered by the Scottish Government – one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh.
Gray also met with Alla Lysa, a 42-year-old Ukrainian now living with a host family in Edinburgh.
She stayed in a hotel and student accommodation for months before finding a suitable host.
However, the trained lawyer added that Edinburgh “was a magical city” and that she was grateful for the help she received from Scottish people.
“It’s like a lullaby. It’s like therapy being here. I am appreciative of everything.”
