Homes for Ukraine: Future accommodation options

The Homes for Ukraine programme started in March 2022, with host households in Kingston and other boroughs opening their homes to people fleeing Ukraine. Thank you to our generous hosts in Kingston. Over 250 households have stepped forward and are accommodating guests.

The UK has now welcomed over 220,000 people from Ukraine to give them a safe haven at this terribly difficult time. This represents the UK’s largest offer of help for people fleeing war since 1945. Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, hosts kindly agree to house their Ukrainian guests for at least 6 months, and have the option to extend for a further 6 months. Hosts can extend their guest stay under the Homes for Ukraine scheme or Ukraine Permission Extension scheme in line with national guidance. 

We have worked with our council teams and local partners to develop some options to help inform and prepare guests and hosts for changes to their current hosting arrangements and alternative living arrangement options that they can pursue. 

All hosts and guests will be contacted by the Kingston Council KUU team prior to 6/12/18/24/30/36 month point to discuss whether they would like to continue hosting the guest(s). Guests will also receive a telephone call from the KUU team to discuss their future plans and will be offered available support where needed. The Council will facilitate annual welfare checks at the host's accommodation with follow-up calls in the meantime to ensure wellbeing and provide integration support. If you are a guest or host and have not received any contact at 6 months (or would like a support call at any time), please let us know at ukraine@kingston.gov.uk. 

How long will these support options last? All options are subject to the availability of grant funding and national guidance. Any options could be removed if there is insufficient grant funding or national guidance changes. The budget supporting these options in Kingston is the special ‘Homes for Ukraine’ budget.

Sponsor: refers to an individual, group, or organisation that has successfully completed a visa application with a person from Ukraine under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and has been approved to accommodate them. A Sponsor may not always be a Host.

Host: refers to an individual, group or organisation who provides accommodation to people from Ukraine. A Host does not need to be a Sponsor.

Guest: refers to an individual or household previously resident in Ukraine, prior to 1 January 2022, who have secured a visa under the “Homes for Ukraine” scheme, which enables them to be housed by a host/sponsor.

Close family relationship or close family members: refers to any of the following: spouse, civil or unmarried partners, parents, parents-in-law, sons or daughters, sons or daughters-in-law, step-sons or step-daughters, siblings, grandparents, or the spouses, civil or unmarried partners of any of these people. 

You can seek support to discuss the various options available in more detail by emailing ukraine@kingston.gov.uk and specifying that you would like further information, we will then arrange an appointment for you to meet with advocates.

If you are interested in becoming a host in Kingston, you can register your interest via this form.