As the war in Ukraine rages on, Sky News has spoken to refugees who fled to the UK months ago and moved in with strangers who’d opened up their homes.

Most are still staying with those who took them in, but some face having nowhere to live if they remain in the UK.

UK hosts who signed up to the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme were asked to provide accommodation to refugees for a minimum of six months. For many households that timeframe has, or is about to, elapse.

A total of 94,900 Ukrainians have come to the UK to stay with British families since the war began. Hosts couldn’t charge their guests rent, but they have received monthly payments of £350 from the government.

Ilona Lemekha was one of the first Ukrainians to arrive in the UK under the visa scheme in March. She was placed with Sarah Hedley and her husband and children in Bedford.

Since her arrival, Ms Lemekha has found two jobs, working in an hotel and a restaurant, and she’s become extremely close to the family that gave her a home. She now thinks of Ms Hedley as a mother figure.

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“Oh, to be honest, I’m really lucky with this family. I’m the lucky person,” says Ms Lemekha.

She’s from Dnipro in eastern Ukraine and says it’s still too dangerous for her to return as Russia continues its assault nearby.

Ms Lemekha hasn’t seen her husband in seven months and doesn’t know when they’ll be reunited – she feels like she’s in limbo.

“You understand that you woke up in the morning, and you don’t have any plans except [your] job. I can’t plan. I don’t see my future, not here, and I don’t understand the situation in Ukraine right now,” she says.

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Ms Lemekha wants to find somewhere in the UK to rent, cautious of overstaying her welcome with the Hedleys. But Ms Hedley says she can stay as long as she needs.

“I think it would actually be really sad when you leave,” Ms Hedley says to Ms Lemekha.

“It’s like she’s family. It’s very, very easy having Ilona stay with us.”

Relationship breakdowns

There are some refugees who cannot remain with their hosts long-term or have already had to move out. The charity, Opora, that helps Ukrainian refugees, estimates one in 10 refugees staying in English households have left before their six months were finished.

Sky News submitted Freedom of Information requests to councils across the UK. Those that responded cited relationship breakdowns as the most common reason for guests to leave, often mentioning cultural differences and miscommunication. But departures were also caused by refugees returning to Ukraine.

Louise Higham welcomed Marta Sahaidak and her two sons into her home in West Sussex in May.

The arrangement was only meant to be temporary, as Ms Higham and her husband are in the process of becoming foster carers and need their home back to care for foster children and earn a living.

‘No way I’m going to make her homeless’

‘It’s not about the money, it’s about what we intended to do with our life. Marta has always known this deadline was looming, and now we’re both not sleeping because there is no way on earth I am going to make her homeless,” says Ms Higham.

Ms Higham has formed a close bond with Ms Sahaidak and her children.

“It’s a lovely two-way relationship. I’ve learnt so much about Ukraine, we’ve extended our family. There’s been lots of benefits, but now we are crying out for help,” says Ms Higham.

Ms Sahaidak has a job here and hopes she can scrape together the deposit she’ll need to rent a house, but she’s found that landlords are reluctant to rent to refugees.

“I worry because I don’t know what will happen to me and my children,” she says.

They’ve looked for someone else to host Ms Sahaidak’s family in West Sussex, but couldn’t find anyone with space.

“It does feel like all the responsibility is on our shoulders for their welfare going forward, and that’s quite harsh and actually quite shocking,” says Ms Higham.

Elusive rental market

Charities say the economic climate is putting pressure on hosts and making refugees vulnerable.

“We had anticipated the desperation and anxiety caused by the impasse of the current UK housing situation (overheated market, cost of living crisis). The reality has, sadly, been in line with that,” says Stan Beneš, from Opora.

“Guests are mostly in shock because even if they have ticked all the boxes and secured employment, are in receipt of the correct benefits and settled kids in school, the rental market remains elusive to most.

“This is because they often have limited or no credit history, lack suitable guarantors, and lacking these are then unable to pay six months’ worth of rent up front to secure a tenancy,” says Mr Beneš.

Sponsors are ‘our backbone’

Most refugees they’ve spoken to, who’ve left their hosts’ homes, have been placed in hotels, he added.

In a statement, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “Sponsors are the backbone of the Homes for Ukraine scheme and represent the very best of British community spirit.

“We are grateful to hosts for the generosity and goodwill they have shown during the last six months.

“The majority of sponsors want to continue hosting for longer than six months. When guests do move on, they have a number of options, including entering private rental [accommodation] or finding a new host to sponsor them.

“Councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads.”

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