Experiences of Homes for Ukraine scheme sponsors - follow-up, UK: 21 to 28 November 2022

• Almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents to the Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Survey Follow-up were providing accommodation at the time of the survey, 21 to 28 November 2022, with the majority (98%) hosting the same guests as in July 2022.

• There was variation in how long current hosts intend to provide accommodation: most intend to host for 12 months (27%) or longer than 12 months (27%) and a minority intended to host for less than 6 months (2%).

• The most common difficulty reported by hosts was uncertainty about what will happen to guests after hosting ends (66%); most hosts (70%) have discussed with their guests what will happen after the current hosting arrangement ends, with one-quarter (25%) having agreed a plan.

• Over half (52%) of past hosts, no longer providing accommodation, are continuing to provide support to their guests who have moved on, including friendship (78%), emotional support (57%) and help settling into the local area (37%).

• Nearly one in five hosts (18%) reported the rising cost of living affected their ability to provide support on the scheme "very much", compared with 9% in July.

• Among hosts whose guests are planning to move out, 69% are planning to move into independent accommodation, for example private renting, while 11% are planning to return to Ukraine.

• Most sponsors reported barriers when helping guests look for private accommodation (81%); the most common being that guests cannot afford to rent privately (69%) and guests cannot provide a guarantor (64%).

Support for sponsors and Ukrainians

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has produced information and guidance for Homes for Ukraine scheme sponsors.

The British Red Cross supports people from Ukraine who are in the UK. The Help for Ukrainian nationals page provides more information about services and support available.

DLUHC has produced a guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK.

The Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Survey Follow-up aims to understand the experiences and intentions of all those registered as sponsors with the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine), and how these experiences might have changed since July 2022.​ This includes those currently providing accommodation, those who have provided accommodation in the past and those who intend to provide accommodation in the future.

The data collected from 21 to 28 November 2022 show that almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents were providing accommodation to those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, this is unchanged since July (74%).

Of those without guests, 73% said that they had provided accommodation previously and did not want to in the future. Some 7% were not currently hosting but had guests due to move in, and 16% were not currently hosting but would like to in the future.​

Of sponsors not currently hosting, 1 in 20 (4%) have never had guests and do not plan to host any. The most common reason being "other" (41%), indicating a reason other than those listed on the survey, followed by the sponsor applying for the scheme but being unsuccessful (30%). The least reported reasons were sponsors were no longer able (15%) or wanted (18%) to provide accommodation.

Over one-third (36%) of those who are currently hosting guests reported meeting their guests directly through social media. Other commonly reported routes included through a formal matching service or organisation (19%), and through an informal local network or organisation (16%).

Around one-third of sponsors not currently hosting but have guests due to move in, also reported meeting their guests directly through social media (32%).

Characteristics of Homes for Ukraine sponsors

Of sponsors on the scheme, the majority (67%) were employed, with 40% of these in full-time employment. Around one-quarter (26%) were retired. ​

Most sponsors were female (55%), compared with 45% who were male.

Almost half (48%) of sponsors were aged 50 to 69 years, followed by nearly two in five (38%) aged 30 to 49 years (Figure 2).

Hosting changes

The majority of all sponsors currently providing accommodation were hosting the same guests as in July 2022 (98%). Of those hosting different guests (2%), the most common reason reported was that their previous guests wanted to move out (52%). Almost two-fifths (38%) of these guests returned to Ukraine and over a third (34%) moved into independent accommodation, for example private renting.

Of past hosts, most provided accommodation for more than three months, but less than six months (43%). The most common reason reported for their sponsorship arrangement coming to an end was also that their guests wanted to move out (46%). Most of these guests (43%) moved into independent accommodation, for example private renting.

Characteristics of current sponsor accommodation

The majority (92%) of hosts reported that the accommodation provided to guests was their own home. In a minority of cases, the guest accommodation was another property owned by the sponsor (8%), or another property the sponsor did not own (1%).

Almost all hosts were hosting guests in one property (99%). The majority (90%) were hosting in a property in England, with most hosting in the South East (24%). A similar proportion were hosting in a property in Wales (4%) and Scotland (5%), with 1% hosting in a property in Northern Ireland.

Most hosts were hosting one (32%) or two guests (34%) in their property. Over half (55%) reported that one or more of their Ukrainian guests were dependent children.

Intentions of hosts

The majority of hosts have been providing accommodation for more than six months (40%). Around one-third (34%) have been hosting for more than three months but less than six months and one in five (20%) have been hosting for six months. The minority have been providing accommodation for three months or less (6%).

The majority of hosts (69%) were providing short-term emergency accommodation. Almost one-quarter (23%) said they were providing longer-term accommodation until guests find an alternative, and the minority (2%) said they were providing more permanent accommodation.

Of those currently providing accommodation, only a minority reported they intend the arrangement to last for less than six months, including the months they had already hosted (2%).

Over one-quarter of hosts intend to provide accommodation between 6 and 12 months including the months they had already hosted (26%) and a similar proportion (27%) intend to host for 12 months. When these hosts were asked what might encourage them to host beyond 12 months, the majority (53%) said an increase in value of monthly £350 “thank you” payments, while 45% said continued “thank you” payments. Almost one-quarter (24%) reported that nothing would encourage them. Over one-quarter of hosts intend to provide accommodation for longer than 12 months (27%). These data were collected prior to the Government's announcement of further support for long-term hosts, which sees increased "thank you" payments.

The majority of hosts (70%) have discussed with their guests what will happen after the current hosting arrangement ends, with one-quarter (25%) having agreed a plan. Around one in five (22%) hosts would consider changing the current arrangement into a formal tenancy.

Motivations of past hosts

When asked what originally encouraged them to apply for the scheme, a minority (8%) of past hosts selected the £350 monthly payments as a motivation. The most reported motivation for applying, by 94% of past hosts, was to help people fleeing a war zone. Over three-quarters of past hosts (79%) were motivated by having the space in their house to meet this need.

Hosts were asked about the support they regularly provide guests, beyond accommodation. The most reported forms of support were help accessing services, such as health and education (91%), help settling into the community (78%), and support with transport (73%) (Figure 3).

Hosts were asked whether they had supported guests with a range of administrative tasks. The majority (94%) had helped guests set up services such as a phone or bank account, register with health care providers (93%), and apply for their £200 grant (89%).

Over half (52%) of pasts hosts, no longer providing accommodation, are continuing to provide support to their guests who have moved on, including friendship (78%), emotional support (57%), and help settling into the local area (37%).

Costs of hosting

The majority of hosts (95%) reported incurring additional utility costs (such as water, gas and electricity). Over half (58%) reported additional transport costs, and 62% reported costs relating to the provision of bedding and toiletries for guests.

Half of hosts (50%) reported that guests were contributing financially. Of those who were financially contributing, the most common category was food and other groceries (44%), followed by utility costs (7%).

Almost all current sponsors (99%) have applied to receive monthly "thank you" payments. When asked if the rising cost of living affected their ability to provide support on the scheme, nearly one in five hosts (18%) reported "very much", compared with 9% in July 2022.

Challenges of hosting and support required

Difficulties reported by hosts included uncertainty about what will happen to guests once the arrangement ends (66%) and helping guests to access public services, such as registering with a GP or dentist (29%) (Figure 4).

Half of current sponsors (50%) experienced difficulties with visa applications. Almost half of previous sponsors (47%), when involved in the scheme, also reported this.

All sponsors were asked what support they thought would be useful for sponsors or hosts. "All sponsors" includes sponsors who were currently hosting, previously hosted, had guests due to move in, or planned to host in the future.

Almost 6 in 10 (59%) said support with administrative tasks for the guest, for example setting up a bank account, would be useful.

Over half (52%) said advice on providing support and dealing with challenges, and almost half (48%) said better signposting to available information and guidance.

Around half (52%) found that the information and support they accessed throughout the scheme was "quite useful". The majority (56%) reported that this fully or mostly met their needs.

Of hosts whose guests are planning to move out, 69% are planning to move into independent accommodation, for example private renting, while 11% are planning to return to Ukraine.

The majority of hosts who helped guests to look for alternative or future accommodation in the UK supported a search for private rented accommodation (76%). Current sponsors also supported guests to look for alternative accommodation provided by local councils (39%), and provided by another sponsor (13%).

However, most sponsors reported experiencing barriers when helping guests look for private accommodation (81%). The most common barriers reported were that their guests cannot afford to rent privately (69%) and cannot provide a guarantor (64%) (Figure 5). This is similar to barriers reported by Ukrainian guests in the UK in our Visa holders entering the UK under the Ukraine Humanitarian Schemes – Follow-up survey: 17 October to 7 November 2022 bulletin.

Current and previous hosts, as well as those who have guests due to move in, were asked about their satisfaction of the Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Scheme. Those who have never had guests and do not plan to host any were not asked satisfaction questions.

Over half (53%) were "very" or "fairly" satisfied with management of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Around one-third of sponsors currently involved in the scheme were “fairly” satisfied with the support they have been offered (34%) and around one-quarter (26%) were “fairly or very” unsatisfied with the communications for the scheme.

All sponsors were asked whether they would consider hosting people from other countries if there was a future refugee crisis. Half (50%) of all sponsors reported they would consider hosting people from other countries, but there was some variation across types of refugee crisis (Figure 6). Half of all sponsors would consider hosting people fleeing war or conflict (50%). Over one-third of all sponsors were "Not sure" (35%) about hosting people from other countries and 15% stated they would not consider hosting people from other countries.

When asked what might encourage sponsors to host people from other countries in a future refugee crisis, the most common responses were more support for sponsors (51%), the ability to choose the individuals they sponsored (48%), and knowing the duration of hosting up front (47%).

Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme

In March 2022, the UK government launched the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine). The scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor who can provide suitable accommodation (in Wales and Scotland this includes those sponsored directly by the Welsh Government or Scottish Government). 

Sponsor

Within this bulletin, the term "sponsor" refers to adults registered with the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Sponsors may or may not have provided accommodation.

Host

Within this bulletin, the term "host" refers to sponsors who provide accommodation. "Hosting" refers to those who were providing accommodation at the time of the data collection, previous hosts are those who have provided accommodation in the past but not at the time of the data collection.

Past host

Past hosts are sponsors who had guests, but were no longer hosting at the time of the survey and did not want to in the future.

Guest

Within this bulletin, the term "guest" refers to the Ukrainian nationals and their families who have arrived in the UK and are currently staying in accommodation provided under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Survey estimates

The data were collected between 21 and 28 November 2022. We invited all adults (aged 18 years and over) who were registered with the Homes for Ukraine scheme in the UK on 7 July 2022 and who took part in the first Sponsor Survey and had agreed to be recontacted to take part. The achieved sample was 8,770 adults. The response rate for this survey was 56%. The achieved sample includes responses from respondents who did not complete the full questionnaire but provided full information about their current involvement in the scheme. In a small number of cases (less than 0.2%) the survey was completed by telephone with an Office for National Statistics (ONS) telephone operator.

For more information on the percentages, how the survey was conducted, uncertainty, and survey collaboration, see our Experiences of Homes for Ukraine scheme sponsors, UK: 7 to 14 July 2022 bulletin.

For information on the strengths and limitations of the Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Survey, see our Experiences of Homes for Ukraine scheme sponsors, UK: 7 to 14 July 2022 bulletin.