On 14.12.22, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced that further to its £350 thank you payment to hosts in the first twelve months of a guest’s stay, Homes for Ukraine hosts would receive £500 a month as a ‘thank you’ for ongoing support during the Ukrainian’s second year of sponsorship. This was in recognition of the continued support by hosts, especially during a period of the rising cost-of-living.

Herefordshire Council has decided that all hosts will receive £500 not just those who have been housing Homes for Ukraine guests in the UK for one year or more. This Herefordshire Council payment is in addition to the Government’s payments to sponsors.

There is still a significant unmet need for hosts / sponsors with Ukrainian households seeking refuge in the UK unable to apply for visas without an identified sponsor. The increased thank you payment will encourage additional interest in becoming a sponsor as well as helping existing sponsorship arrangements to continue. It is believed that this will continue to help reduce the demand on temporary accommodation and homelessness services. The numbers of Ukrainian families in temporary accommodation is stabilizing (currently 18 Ukrainian families). As well as reducing the risk of homelessness, sustaining the relationships between guests and sponsors also supports community integration as guests become more imbedded in the local community over time and children benefit from a sustained period in local schools etc.