Housebuilders and associations look for ways to help Ukrainian refugees

Housing associations and housebuilders are looking at ways they can help Ukrainian refugees as they await government guidance on what more they can do. 

Barratt has donated £50,000 to the Sun newspaper’s Ukrainian Fund and says that “some of our divisional offices are also being used as charity collection points”.

Redrow founder Steve Morgan has pledged to fund the passage of 1,000 Ukrainian refugees to the UK, and pay for their accommodation for six months, as reported by Housing Today yesterday. 

A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes said: “Each of our 31 regional businesses is currently organising their own activities to raise money in support the Ukrainian refugee crisis.  Persimmon Homes has pledged to match the total amount raised when the national fund-raising effort has been completed.” 

Steve Turner, director of communications at the Home Builders Federation, told Housing Today the organisation had contacted the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and was awaiting advice on how the industry could act as a whole. 

The sector wanted to help where it could, he said, and suggested some providers might have homes they could offer people fleeing the war in Ukraine, which started when Russia invaded last month. 

Turner also believed housebuilders were looking at whether they dealt with Russian law firms, to cut ties with them. 

See also>>New subsidised housing is needed for Ukrainian refugees

Yesterday the government launched its ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme, calling for individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to come forward to provide homes or a room for refugees for a minimum of six months, paid at £350 a month. 

A spokesperson from the National Housing Federation also said the umbrella-body was awaiting government guidance on what housing associations could do collectively. 

It was “awaiting guidance on the logistics and practicalities of the sponsorship scheme”, she explained. The spokesperson was not aware of what any housing associations were doing individually but added: “Our members have been getting in touch to find out how they can help so I think we can expect more activity in the next few days.”

In explaining why he pledged the money to help the refugees, Morgan expressed his feeling to Dan Walker on BBC Breakfast that the government was not moving quickly enough to help people escape Ukrainian. 

“Like a lot of people I just felt very frustrated that, in this country in the UK, we’re not doing enough for the refugees,” he told the BBC journalist.