Homes for Ukraine

Information for Ukrainians living in Hounslow

Homes for Ukraine is a government scheme to help you, and your family arrive safely in the United Kingdom (UK). The scheme will allow you to stay for up to 3 years in the UK. Or if you applied after 19th February 2024, the scheme would allow you to stay for up to 18 months. You can be sponsored by a UK resident for first 6 months or more. If after this you would prefer to live without a sponsor, you can look for private accommodation in any area of the UK.

Homes for Ukraine team: Hounslow Council

For any questions or help that you may need, you can contact us:

In Person in Hounslow:

Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow, TW3 3EB

•         Monday 10- 1pm

•         Wednesday 2-4pm

And in Feltham at the Feltham Assembly Hall, Feltham Park, Hounslow Road, TW14 9DN

•         Every Tuesday from 2-5pm

Telephone Contact Details:

0208 583 2100 (available Monday to Friday 9-5pm)

Email:

asylumandrefugees@hounslow.gov.uk

Ukraine Social Club:

The Arts Centre, Treaty Centre, Hounslow, TW3 1ES

  • Wednesday (Term time) 4:30-8pm

On Arrival

Your sponsor will be able to help you adjust to life in the UK. As well as being able to give you a room or rooms, they will also want to make sure that you’re comfortable and have everything you need. They may be able to take you to get these things or tell you where you can buy them from.

Your sponsor will also know a lot about the area you’re staying in and can help you to find places like:

•         Local schools and colleges for your children

•         Doctors

•         Dentists

•         Shops

•         Churches

•         Community centers

•         Council offices

They might not know everything about the services you want, but they should be able to tell you who to get in touch with to find out more.

The Homes for Ukraine team in Hounslow will need to make more checks on your sponsor and the accommodation to make sure that you are kept safe. These checks include Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and may be made at different stages of your journey to the UK.

Someone from Hounslow council will visit you not long after you arrive at your sponsor’s home. This is to check that you arrived safely and that the accommodation you are living in is suitable and that you are comfortable.

If you have questions about local services that you want to access, you can ask the people from the council when they visit. They might not have the answer, but they will tell you who can help you.

If you need to leave temporarily

We understand that you may need to spend time away from your accommodation for various reasons. Before you leave, we encourage you to discuss your arrangements and how long you plan to leave for with your sponsor. Where possible you should let your sponsor know when you plan to return before you travel or should update them as soon as you can.

If you go abroad, you can continue to get Universal Credit for up to one month. You must:

•         Be eligible for Universal Credit when you’re going abroad

•         Remain eligible for it while you’re abroad

•         Tell your work coach that you’re going, and let them know when you return

What to expect from your host

Your sponsor will receive a monthly payment from the UK government as a thank you for hosting. Hosts will receive £350 a month during your stay. The thank you payment is available for a maximum of eighteen months after you arrive. If you move to a new sponsor, the host will receive the payment amount according to your total length of stay in the UK.

There can only be payment per residential address and in England will be administered through your local council. So, your host will receive one payment - either £350 - in total for either an individual or a family group of guests.

Sponsors are not expected to use this money to pay for food, or other support, for you. Your sponsor is not allowed to charge you rent while you are staying with them, but they may ask you to make a reasonable contribution towards food and other household expenses during your stay

If you think you are being asked to contribute an unreasonable amount of money, speak to Homes for Ukraine team on asylumandrefugee@hounslow.gov.uk or call 0208 583 2100.

Your £200 arrival payment does not need to be paid to your host either. This is to help you get some essentials when you arrive.

If your living arrangements are not working out

Occasionally things do go wrong and if they do, it may be something simple that can be resolved with a conversation with your host. If your host asks you to leave or you decide to leave, you can speak to the Homes for Ukraine team who will work with you to find alternative accommodation.

If your sponsorship ends because you are not getting on with your host or you are worried it is about to end because of this, contact the Homes for Ukraine team as soon as possible.

There are different ways Hounslow council could help you. For example, they may offer you:

  • Advice (how to talk to your host, or what options are available to you)
  • Emergency housing
  • To rematch you with a new sponsor

The help they offer depends on how urgent your needs are and if you are homeless.

You may be helped sooner if any of the following apply to your situation:

  • You or someone you live with is pregnant
  • Dependent children live with you
  • Or you are assessed by the local council as vulnerable, for example because of old age or disability

Parents intending to leave their child in the care of a sponsor: Homes for Ukrain

If your child, under the age of 18, is coming to the UK without you, they could be particularly vulnerable. We have a separate process for this type of application. Applicants must meet different eligibility criteria, and sponsors must have enhanced safeguarding checks. The online application form for sponsors of children not travelling with their parent or legal guardian should be completed.

If you have applied to come to the UK with your children through the main Homes for Ukraine scheme, you must travel with them to the UK.

When you are in the UK, you should not leave your child in the care of a sponsor (or an accompanying adult relative) for 28 days or more. You also should not leave your child the care of a sponsor (or an accompanying relative) for shorter periods on a regular basis. Sponsors of children who arrived with their parent or legal guardian will not have expected to take on the responsibility for a child who is not with their parent or legal guardian and will not have had the necessary safeguarding checks.

What you must do before you leave your child with your sponsor

If in very exceptional circumstances you can’t travel with your child or children to the UK or need to leave them in the care of the sponsor for 28 days or more, you must take certain steps. Before you leave your child or children you must have:

  • Agree how long the sponsor will be responsible for your children.
  • Have consent from the sponsor to take on additional responsibility as a sponsor of a child under 18.
  • Told the council and give them written consent. You should use the UK sponsorship arrangement consent form.
  • Waited for the council to successfully complete any additional safeguarding checks required (including a sponsor suitability assessment) before the child travels to the UK or before the parent or legal guardian leaves their child in the care of the sponsor.

You must follow the steps above for any situation where you need to leave your child in the care of your sponsor for 28 days or more, including if:

  • You can’t travel with your child to the UK.
  • If you are returning to Ukraine temporarily.
  • If you are moving to another UK address for work.

The above steps should all be completed before you leave your child.

You should also contact your local council to find out if your temporary absence may affect your entitlement to any services, you are currently receiving.

If you go abroad, you can continue to get Universal Credit for up to one month.

You must:

  • Be eligible for Universal Credit when you’re going abroad.
  • Remain eligible for it while you’re abroad.
  • Tell your work coach that you’re going and let them know when you return.

If you leave the UK, you should stay in frequent contact with your sponsor and your child and keep them updated about any changes to your plans (for example if you need to be away for longer than you originally thought).

If your sponsor can no longer look after your children:

If a sponsorship arrangement between a sponsor and a child who is under 18 and is not with their parent or legal guardian breaks down or is ended by the council for child welfare or safeguarding reasons, the council may need to accommodate your child. The council will try to contact you to understand how you want your child to be cared for if this happens.

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