London (CNN)Start with your eyebrows up and end with the door closed. Details were lost in the translation, the wrong way to load the dishwasher, awkward silence, followed by a polite request to pack the bag.
CNN from Ukraine became homeless in the UK after worsening relations with the UK host, remaining confused and isolated, and facing a tremendous amount of red tape. I spoke to a newly arrived refugee.
The scale of the problem is not yet clear. The British government states that 77,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK through two different programs since the beginning of the war. And the Homes for Ukraine scheme, where Ukrainians find local "sponsors" through friends, charities and even social media and jointly apply for visas. According to the British government, "the overwhelming majority are well settled."
However, new preliminary data collected by the UK Government show that 660 Ukrainian households sought homeless assistance from local governments between February 24 and June 3. increase. The social media group for the Ukrainian community in London is flooded with messages from people who are falling with their UK hosts.
Almost a quarter of local governments have not yet provided data, and CNN has spoken to several refugees who have become homeless in these areas. Two striking explanations by unrelated women reveal a significant gap in plans designed to help them.
"Lucky" note
Natalia Arnoutova, 28, from Odessa, was reading about 50 miles from London in April. Arrived alone. She met a couple in their 50s at the airport. They contacted through matching websites and sponsored visas under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. A month after living together, the couple decided that the arrangement had stopped working and asked her to leave. She says the local government offered only one option. It's a homeless hostel.
"The people who developed this program weren't thinking about what would happen if people didn't ride for some reason, and there are many reasons why things wouldn't work," she told CNN. Told. Telephone interview.
Arnautova admits that she has a personality difference with her host, but she says she doesn't have to leave. Arnautova recalled that a translator working in the local council called her and broke the news.
"She said:" You have no place to live, they are kicking you out tonight, "she remembered. "I stood in shock and cried," Arnautova tried to persuade the council to give her a hotel room, but they didn't, she said. She didn't feel safe, so she turned down the hostel option.
She happened to attend a meeting for Ukrainians in Reading and it was Friday night so she was contacted by one of the organizers who agreed to stand her up for a few nights. ..
"I returned to the empty house and started packing," she said. "They wished me good luck and left a note in my room. No one saw me off or asked where I was going."
Arnautova then The council said it made little effort. "Their day ended at 5 pm on Friday. Two weeks later, the council asked me where I was." The Wokingham Autonomous Region Council told CNN that it would not comment on a particular case.
Arnautova's host, who asked to name only as Adrian, noticed that CNN had some "small problems with the property itself" that led to the collapse of the relationship and she was offered. A homeless hostel who said he wasn't there. He said she thought she would rematch with another host.
"I've organized all the paperwork, doctors, national insurance, and residence permit interviews. It was a lot of work and I was personally disappointed because it didn't work," he said. .. "I remember watching the scene on TV and thinking I had to do something. I have a big house and room, so give it a try."
Adrian lives in London. Regarding that, he added that he thought Arnoutwa's "heart wasn't there" and wanted to go to London.
The "Lifeline" provided
British Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said at the time that the plan "provides a lifeline for those forced to flee." "
The idea of a hosting scheme was seemingly good, according to Sara Nathan, co-founder of Charity Refugees at Home, who has matched refugees and hosts in the past.
"I think our first reaction was good. Accepting people is valued as a way forward," she told CNN. "
But one important issue is rematching if the placement fails.
The UK government says Congress has access to the rematching system.
However, some charities have told CNN that the facility is delayed, inconsistent, and difficult to access. Government data show that it seeks homeless assistance. More than half of Ukrainian households are currently in temporary accommodation.
'One trivial thing'
CNN first contacts Natalia Laimer A few days after she was asked to leave her British host, she couldn't finish the sentence without tears. A 49-year-old woman from Bucha was shot for days and at home. She survived a terrifying close encounter with a group of armed Russian soldiers, which she said was worse.
"I understood that I had to pack more than the basement of Bucha. When I was feeling more stressed now, I felt very sick, "she said for two weeks. later. "I felt like a lost kitten because of adoption."
Lymar says she still doesn't fully understand what went wrong with her first host. ..
"There were trivial things, I didn't even know what they weren't happy with, and when they said something, it was a very smile and I thought everything was okay. , "She explained.
"People aren't always compatible," Nathan said. "It doesn't mean they've done terrible things, it doesn't mean you're evil. You may not be able to ride for six months. It's a long time."
CNN Although I couldn't contact Lymar's sponsor to comment on this story, her friend, who originally helped with her match, confirmed that she was asked to leave. Limer and her friend tried to seek council support, but did not pass the homeless application because they could not manage the paperwork.
Nathan says the government should have planned this kind of scenario in advance. "Any exercise of this scale will fail. There will be non-functional deployments, and there is no consistent rematching scheme we want."
A "cliff" is approaching
Charities warn that local governments are overly responsible. While the local council is still busy with protection checks to deploy new arrivals, it must assist in the event of a deployment failure without much guidance from the central government.
"We really want the government to invest more in this," said Dennis Scott McDonald, a councilor in Greenwich, southeast London. .. "Otherwise, it would be a terrible situation for many who come from the war zone and are thrown into a system where they don't know what's going on and are completely traumatized."
Council The Society is already proud of the rapid approach of the logistic "cliff edge", even for Ukrainians who are now happy with their British hosts. The host of the
Homes for Ukraine scheme was asked to commit for only 6 months. What is worrisome is what will happen around September when the first arrivals begin to meet the deadline.
"We are looking in the face of many families who are introducing themselves to all kinds of municipalities throughout the country," said Scott McDonald. Greenwich is currently dealing with 19 cases of failed placements.
British refugee minister Richard Harrington said he hopes they will find employment and eventually be able to rent their accommodation. Home Secretary Priti Patel also defended the plan, saying the government is paying Congress about $ 13,000 per refugee.
Scott McDonald says that's not enough, after years of cutting Congressional budgets, and in the midst of a living-cost crisis. She also wants more communication from the central government to avoid the burden of doing it all alone to Congress. "I think the government has responded kneel to the crisis," she added, adding that this caused "confusion" for council staff and locals trying to manage the system.
Survive on their own
Both Ukrainian women spoken by CNN are now trying to find their way without the support of government plans. Is called.
Lymar lives with a new host found in the local WhatsApp group. It's an ad hoc arrangement. CNN understands that Lymar has not been formally rematched with the new host under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Arnautova is staying with friends in London. She could request her rematch by the council where her former host lived, but she rather stayed in London, she continued to study English, got her job, and finally I want to rent my place.
"When I came here, I was completely convinced that I was protected for at least 6 months and didn't have to think about where to live or what to do," she said. Told.
"Why did this happen? Why did they leave me on the street?"