Sheffield MP calls for new funding to help Ukrainian refugees staying with city families

By Julia Armstrong
Published 21st Sep 2022, 09:56 BST
Updated 21st Sep 2022, 09:57 BST
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A Sheffield MP has called for more Government funding to ensure that Ukrainian refugees do not face becoming homeless when the current support ends next March.

Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh has written to the new Home Secretary Suella Braverman, urging her to take immediate action and put provisions and support in place for thousands of refugees.

As the war in Ukraine broke out, hundreds of people in Sheffield and thousands across the country opened their homes to take in people that were fleeing the war.

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Many did so under the Homes for Ukraine scheme but as funding for local authorities and sponsors comes to an end early next year, the Labour MP fears that many sponsorship arrangements could break down, especially as more and more people struggle with rising cost of living.

Sheffield MP Louise Haigh has called for urgent action to ensure that Ukrainian refugees and families who have taken them in will not struggle financially as Government help ends next MarchSheffield MP Louise Haigh has called for urgent action to ensure that Ukrainian refugees and families who have taken them in will not struggle financially as Government help ends next March
Sheffield MP Louise Haigh has called for urgent action to ensure that Ukrainian refugees and families who have taken them in will not struggle financially as Government help ends next March

Ms Haigh said: “It was overwhelming how generous people were when the war broke out in Ukraine.

“People opened their homes in their droves and welcomed those fleeing the war.

‘Asking for urgent action to be taken’

“There is a real worry now that as people are forced to pay rising energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis really hits everyone, we will begin to see these sponsorship arrangements break down, leaving refugees homeless, or that more and more sponsors will face greater financial difficulty.

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Sheffield Town Hall clock lit up in blue and yellow and Ukrainian flags flying after the country was invaded by Russia. City MP Louise Haigh is calling for more Government support for refugees and the families who have taken them into their homesSheffield Town Hall clock lit up in blue and yellow and Ukrainian flags flying after the country was invaded by Russia. City MP Louise Haigh is calling for more Government support for refugees and the families who have taken them into their homes
Sheffield Town Hall clock lit up in blue and yellow and Ukrainian flags flying after the country was invaded by Russia. City MP Louise Haigh is calling for more Government support for refugees and the families who have taken them into their homes

“I have been contacted by people who have fled the war and by members of the Ukrainian community asking for urgent action to be taken and clarity to be sought from the government about what will happen after March 2023.

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“This cannot be a last-minute decision by the Government, as we have seen for many other funding decisions.

“It is our responsibility as a nation to support those who have sought sanctuary in this country.

The impacts of the war in Ukraine will be far reaching and long term and we need to ensure that support we provide matches the need.”

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The Government says that more than 100,000 people from Ukraine have arrived in the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Some people took in strangers allocated to them and others rehomed family members or people they had contacted via the internet.

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Related topics:PeopleSuella BravermanLouise HaighSheffieldGovernment