UKRAINIANS who fled for their lives from Vladimir Putin’s cruel war are now facing a homelessness crisis across Scotland, campaigners warned.
Tens of thousands of refugees made their way here after the Russian despot invaded their homeland in February 2022.
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But many have lost their sponsor placements and have been forced to scramble for a roof over their heads.
Shocking stats have revealed that nearly 600 Ukranians were made homeless or were threatened with homelessness in Scotland in the last two years.
In some cases, families were booted out of sponsor homes at short notice, while others have had to stay with friends or live in temporary housing and hotels.
Support charities called on councils to do more to help them access stable accommodation.
Olha Maksymiak, an adviser on displaced Ukrainians in Scotland, said: “There are many reasons why people have ended up homeless.
“But it is usually people who have been told that they have to leave their sponsors.
“When there is a breakdown with the host family, they don’t have any option other than to go. In these cases, people register as homeless.
“The Government has done a lot for Ukrainians and we really appreciate it. But I think local authorities could provide more information for those living with hosts.
“They often have limited information on how they can apply for social housing accommodation.”
In contrast, Olha told how refugees given ‘Welcome Accommodation of up to six months in hotels under the Scottish Government’s Super Sponsor scheme had better access to resettlement teams.
As of September 26, there had been 48,057 visa bids from Ukrainians coming to Scotland, with 38,304 sponsored by the Scottish Government and 9,753 by private citizens.
Latest figures show there were 290 homelessness applications last year, with 115 registered in Glasgow and 30 in Edinburgh. The previous year, there were 270 such requests across the country.
A single mum who fled Ukraine with her son told how she had to register as homeless after their sponsor was no longer able to accommodate them.
The student, 35, and her boy, 11, had been housed on a cruise ship for six months after arriving in Scotland before moving in with their host.
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But when the arrangement came to an end after a year, they were told their local council on the outskirts of Glasgow didn’t have any suitable accommodation.
The pair are now living in a temporary one-bedroom flat until a permanent home becomes available.
‘We lived in a hotel for two weeks’
The mother explained: “When we came out of the sponsor home, the council said they didn’t have enough property in the area. That is why we have registered as homeless.
“We lived in a hotel for two weeks then moved into a temporary flat. We have to sleep in one bed.
“They said it’s temporary, but they don’t know whether we will be here one month or one year.
“Sometimes it’s a bit difficult with transport and money. But I love this area. It’s safe, peaceful.”
Stan Beneš, managing director of Ukrainian support charity Opora, said: “Very few of the people that we are calling homeless are sleeping rough.
“What we’re terming homelessness is people who have housing instability or are at risk of not having somewhere stable.
“Those people are vying for social housing. They are staying with friends and family if they have them, or in short-term insecure accommodation if they’re on their own, or hotels from time to time.”
Mr Beneš said the cost of living crisis, the length of hosting arrangements and cultural differences had also contributed to the breakdown of sponsorship arrangements with hosts.
He said there had been “inconsistent” support from “underfunded” councils that are often overwhelmed with regard to capacity.
“We have seen a sharp increase in the number of Ukrainian people presenting as homeless in Edinburgh.”
Edinburgh Council spokesperson
A report by the British Red Cross found there had been a “lack of clarity over long-term funding” for support schemes and an “absence of a plan for transitioning to longer-term accommodation”.
The humanitarian charity said: “Many hosts had limited or no experience in providing support for traumatised people.”
Financial pressures on hosts, exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, also had an impact.
Sabir Zazai, CEO of the Scottish Refugee Council, said: “The number of people across Scotland who put themselves forward as hosts was inspiring and a real testament to why Scots have a reputation for being so welcoming.
“We are concerned about statistics showing a rise in the number of Ukrainian households experiencing homelessness in the past year.
“While thousands of people have been placed in settled accommodation, it is important that we do not leave anybody behind.
“Councils must be supported to move people out of temporary accommodation as quickly as possible and into a suitable place for them to live.”
The comments come just days after SNP ministers were slammed over a “scandalous” rise in homelessness after the number of people living in temporary housing hit a record high.
Official figures show that 16,330 households were in this situation in March — the highest since Scottish Government records began in 2002.
They also show 40,685 homelessness applications in 2023/24 — the highest number since 2011/12 and a rise of 1,377 on the previous year.
Scottish Lib Dems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “It must feel like a nightmare to be homeless in the country where you want to start afresh.
“If ministers don’t start delivering on their big promises, many more refugees could find themselves without a roof over their heads.”
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said the city had supported 1,500 households.
She added: “Ukrainians are being accommodated through registered social landlords, Homes for Ukraine or the Super Sponsor Scheme.”
A City of Edinburgh Council spokeswoman said: “We have seen a sharp increase in the number of Ukrainian people presenting as homeless in Edinburgh.
“We have also seen many Ukrainians travel to Edinburgh and present as homeless after being asked to leave Welcome Accommodation in other parts of Scotland.
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“We’ve set up a dedicated homelessness team to assist Ukrainian people who want support.”
The Ukrainian Consulate was approached for comment.
