Decision details

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report requesting approval from members to commit to housing grant monies to support Ukraine guests into settled accommodation.

Members were reminded that for each Ukraine guest that is placed through a sponsorship offer in the borough, the Council received a Community Integration grant and a Housing Grant and that a Commitment of the Community Integration was approved by Committee in October 2022.  However, the commitment of the Housing Support Grant had not been reported and approved to date.

The report noted that at the end of a sponsorship arrangement with a host, the Ukrainian guests need to find settled accommodation and that this is most likely to be in the private rented sector.

The report also noted that since the first guests arrived in June 2022, 10 families had moved into their own accommodation, with 9 having moved into private rented accommodation and 1 into social housing.

The proposal as set in the report was to make available to Ukraine households an offer of a cash bond to enable them to cover the first month’s rent and any deposit required to secure a private rented property.  The maximum amount would be £1,600 for a family or £1,000 for a single person. This would be dependent on the monthly rent charged.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed to the proposal to make available a cash bond and deposit to Ukraine guests when required, subject to the relevant checks.