Taking in two Ukrainian refugees, a British mother pledged to ‘never again’ participate in the government’s Homes for Ukraine programme because she felt “completely exploited and mistreated.”
One of an increasing number of Britons who have left the programme as a result of a breakdown in ties with their relocated visitors is Clara Maguire, 54, of Poole, Dorset.
Many people have yet to receive a cent of the monthly payments of £350 promised by the government, almost six months after Vladimir Putin’s invasion. Others believe they have been “duped” by “non-vulnerable” Ukrainians.
Kievan mother and 44-year-old Ludmila Zosym has disputed some of the statements, claiming that the British hosts are the ones who lack empathy since they have never escaped a conflict.
A trauma charity concurred and urged for greater access to treatments for refugees as well as more mental health education for hosts to prevent extra load on the NHS.
As a result of the cost-of-living crisis brought on by skyrocketing inflation and exorbitant energy prices, a quarter of British families now enrolled in the programme plan to leave in the coming weeks.
Additionally, hosts have complained about delays in obtaining their monthly £350 handouts from local governments; as a result, pressure is growing on politicians to increase the assistance to £700.
One irate British resident of south London complained to MailOnline that after hosting migrants since May, he had gotten nothing.
While the Local Government Association, which represents 361 councils in England and Wales, claims it just got the government grant money in June and had to backdate payments, several say they have spent thousands of dollars caring for their immigrants.
After hosting a woman and daughter for six weeks, Ms. Maguire, a single mother who lost her husband shortly before the Covid outbreak, said she and her 13-year-old son “truly battled” before requesting the council to re-house them.
The air hostess, who just took voluntary redundancy, called the process a “disaster” and told Mail Online that she has yet to get the £350 monthly subsidy that is granted for each Ukrainian family accepted.
‘We have never been made to feel so uncomfortable in our own houses as we did with them,’ Ms. Maguire told MailOnline.
She said that the Ukrainian mother was a native English speaker who made around £700 per month from a French-speaking job while also receiving child assistance of about the same amount.
As they “would not eat UK cuisine,” Ms. Maguire remembers clearing out two more bedrooms and “taking them everywhere,” including to the dentist, the doctor, and the Polish grocery.
The worst part, she said, was that despite everything and opening our house to them, they never expressed thanks. When I told them I could no longer put up with their lack of appreciation and their kid being up all night, she claimed they weren’t being impolite and begged them to remain.
I informed them that there was no turning back now. They didn’t understand the value of gratitude, nor did they have any intention of integrating.
A Ukrainian woman responds to British hosts who complain their visitors “did not say thank you” enough: “We are facing being unemployed and homeless while our loved ones back home risk being slaughtered every day.”
West London resident Ludmila Zosym, a mother from Kiev who resides in Chiswick, was recently ordered to leave by her host.
The 44-year-old, who has served as the chief financial officer for a number of multinational corporations, said that Britons are unable to comprehend the seriousness of the Ukraine conflict and how it has affected individuals who have left.
It’s not about cultural differences, she said, according to MailOnline. More comprehension is required. People who have never experienced a battle struggle to comprehend what it’s like and how stressful it is.
Then there is the additional strain of adjusting to a new culture. The everyday worry of being homeless here follows. A further concern is how to get a work as a professional and not cleaning toilets when you have a strong degree, extensive experience, and had a well-paying position in Ukraine, but here there is very little money provided while there are greater living expenses.
“While you’re away, your closest relatives and friends are still in Ukraine and in danger of being slaughtered.”
She said, “Houses, vehicles, and benefits are still in Ukraine, so I have to start again.”
“People from any other nation find it difficult to comprehend that we still struggle with sleep and that we need to recuperate mentally, including taking medication to calm our tensions. More specifically, in my own circumstance… Maybe that’s why we don’t appreciate the British enough since we have so many anxieties and everyday pressures.
Ms. Zosym said that since her daughter, 17, does not have a permanent address or work in Britain, she is also finding it difficult to bring her across from Poland.
“I don’t know how many years I need to work here in the UK, beginning with the lowest jobs in finance – frequently with a considerably lower wage than in Ukraine – to attain that way of life I had,” the worker said.
I have worked really hard for the last 20 years to advance my profession, thus it is challenging for me to do a routine job for menial pay in the UK that does not advance my talents.
She said, “But I am still grateful to the British for embracing me. I am grateful to Poland, among other nations. Even if I may not express my gratitude in sufficient amounts, I am grateful every day.
“They wouldn’t even sip the water or the coffee, much alone walk the dogs with us or eat with us.” It was just horrible.
After five years of caring for him, Ms. Maguire said, “I lost my husband soon before Covid, so we do know about loss, caring, and appreciating the little things in life.
Although we truly struggled and requested the council to rehouse them, “I know there are amazing tales out there.”
According to Ms. Maguire, it was never about the money, and she is not pursuing the unpaid grant money.
Fortunately, we have the resources to cover it, she remarked.
Ludmila Zosym, a Ukrainian mother from Kiev who resides in Chiswick, west London, and was recently ordered to leave by her host, retaliated in response to claims of “ungrateful” visitors.
The 44-year-old, who has served as the chief financial officer for a number of multinational corporations, said that Britons are unable to comprehend the seriousness of the Ukraine conflict and how it has affected individuals who have left.
It’s not about cultural differences, she said, according to MailOnline. More comprehension is required. People who have never experienced a battle struggle to comprehend what it’s like and how stressful it is.
Then there is the additional strain of adjusting to a new culture. The everyday worry of being homeless here follows. A further concern is how to get a work as a professional and not cleaning toilets when you have a strong degree, extensive experience, and had a well-paying position in Ukraine, but here there is very little money provided while there are greater living expenses.
“While you’re away, your closest relatives and friends are still in Ukraine and in danger of being slaughtered.”
She said, “Houses, vehicles, and benefits are still in Ukraine, so I have to start again.”
“People from any other nation find it difficult to comprehend that we still struggle with sleep and that we need to recuperate mentally, including taking medication to calm our tensions. More specifically, in my own circumstance… Maybe that’s why we don’t appreciate the British enough since we have so many anxieties and everyday pressures.
Ms. Zosym said that since her daughter, 17, does not have a permanent address or work in Britain, she is also finding it difficult to bring her across from Poland.
She said, “But I am still grateful to the British for receiving me. I’m also grateful to Poland and to many other nations.”
“Maybe I don’t express my gratitude in sufficient amounts, but I am grateful every day inside,” I said.
It follows a lady only identified as Jane’s account of a “terrible” encounter with a young Ukrainian student.
She said, “I feel a failure, yet I believe some of it was partially my responsibility,” on Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4. Yes, a portion of it is cultural.
“Just, really be cautious. I don’t believe you realise what it’s like to have someone living in your house who isn’t your close family.”
I believe I was taken advantage of, and I’m quite furious with myself about it since I believe there are many more individuals out there who might have benefited from my assistance.
Another listener, who identified herself as a “lifelong Guardian reader,” said that she was afraid to speak out since her Ukrainian visitors “drove us to despair” until she finally requested them to leave “for the sake of my and my family’s mental health.”
They weren’t vulnerable, she said, and if they didn’t have a lot of private resources, we wouldn’t have asked them to go.
“I believe we overlook the cultural differences as well; as a country, we are courteous and subservient, but I find Ukrainians to be more forthright… What has occurred to us shocks me, and I wouldn’t do it again.
However, one listener took to the show’s discussion board to criticise the presenters’ barrage of unfavourable remarks.
My wife and I are from the Ukraine; I’m British, and my wife is Ukrainian,’ he added. Our host has been our home for six months, and he wants us to go so he may start over in his life.
He’s a great host and most likely a lifelong buddy. Can I rent despite working? We are now considering returning to Ukraine to live in hell on Earth since I have no history and the local authorities won’t locate us a new host.
We also have a tiny puppy, and it is overwhelming how many people can be so hostile, he said.
Leading trauma organisation today made the claim that British hosts often fail to understand the trauma that their Ukrainian visitors have experienced, which often results in a collapse in relationships.
‘Many hosts responded to Government requests for accommodation via the Homes for Ukraine initiative, unaware of the high degree of need to give practical help,’ Tiffany Watts, a consultant at Trauma Treatment International (TTI), told MailOnline.
‘In certain instances, hosting is failing and hosts are burning out since they essentially serve as inexperienced caseworkers,’ says one host.
One host remarked: “I feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere and I can’t seem to persuade the government to keep its promises.”
According to TTI’s study, hosts of Homes for Ukraine are unaware of how to provide their refugee guests access to mental health information or assistance and are also doubtful of which providers to believe.
There are a tonne of internet resources, but their quality varies and they aren’t usually evaluated by experts, Ms. Watts said. Additionally, hosts are often instructed to contact the council or take visitors to the doctor if they show any indications of trauma.
“This might place a tremendous amount of pressure on an already overburdened NHS, with lengthy waiting lists possibly exacerbating trauma.”
The hosting agreements between British and Ukrainians, according to Enver Solomon, CEO of Refugee Council, “were always going to confront issues in the long-term.”
The extra strain of the expense of living on families in the UK presents a further danger to vulnerable Ukrainians, he said. “We are already aware of hundreds of Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, who are at risk of homelessness owing to problems with their hosting arrangements.
In order for Ukrainians to live independently and reduce their chances of becoming homeless, it is crucial that the government provide hosts and refugees the proper assistance, financing, and counsel. This includes reviewing the funds.
“Both Homes for Ukraine and the Family Visa programme require enough attention and assistance to make sure they are fit for purpose to safeguard refugees in dire need of a secure roof over their heads and for families and hosts who have opened their arms to be able to help them successfully.”
It follows a warning issued yesterday by Vicki Bridges, one of the Homes for Ukraine organisers in Oakhill, Somerset, who has assisted in matching refugees with host families: “If you’re a sponsor, with the best will in the world, you’re inviting a complete stranger into your home and that can be quite difficult.”
I believe we have all found it tougher than anticipated, there were always going to be teething difficulties, she told MailOnline.
The largest challenges for hosts, according to Ms. Bridges, have been linguistic and cultural difficulties.
We all live differently, therefore even if they are living in your house with you, they won’t necessarily live the same way you do.
“It might be difficult to adjust to someone living in close proximity to you; it is a risk.”
The hosts should keep in mind that if refugees have children with them, they are not your children and that their parenting styles will vary from yours.
It occurs at the same time as another host in Lambeth claims he has not received his grant money since welcoming refugees for the first time in early May.
The south London council’s final communication with him was that the funds will be delivered “in a few weeks” on August 3.
According to him, it is totally unethical for councils to fail to pay host families on time. A typical business would not be able to get away with promising a new hire that they “should” be paid in “a few weeks,” he told MailOnline.
If families are ready to continue participating in the “Homes for Ukraine” programme for an extended period of time, ministers “may quadruple £350 a month compensation for housing migrants.”
As they are under pressure to give additional assistance, ministers may decide to treble the £350 monthly payments made to British hosts of Ukrainian refugees.
According to the PoliticsHome website, if host homes are ready to prolong their offer of housing beyond the minimal six-month period, the government might take action by increasing the monthly “thank you” payment to £700.
A request for further assistance has already received almost 2,000 signatures on an open letter to ministers.
The hosts requested that the charity Sanctuary Foundation increase the amount of the “thank you” payments, especially when caring for numerous people, providing housing for more than six months, and for homes who are particularly hard hit by the cost-of-living problem.
Additionally, they asked ministers to provide money for English language classes for people who have escaped Vladimir Putin’s invasion and to add monies to the housing allowance for Ukrainian refugees receiving Universal Credit.
According to Treasury officials who spoke to MailOnline, the governme
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