To receive a verbal update regarding the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Minutes:
The Group received, and NOTED, a verbal update on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme from the Operations Manager for Public Health and Housing Options. This included the following update:
Numbers and re-matching
· Numbers of hosts/properties matched to Ukrainian guests continues to rise – weekly DCC updates via national portal
· 97 hosts/properties matched to 195 guests as of 25 July – Not all have arrived yet.
· Guests have arrived at 66 properties so we have 155 guests hosted in Mid Devon at present.
· 96 of 97 properties inspected. The team have been working very hard to achieve this on top of the normal day job.
· Re-matching demand is relatively low (host/guest arrangements ending early) and single figures but we are starting to see an increase due to the rural location of some hosts. People want to be closer to employment, services and schools and on a bus route so they don’t have to rely on the host to drive them or find the money for a car.
· All unmatched hosts registered locally have been contacted as potential expressions of interest for-re-matching but responses have been low. Those that have responded are being reviewed in terms of the location of the property and the type of accommodation. Those in the most sustainable locations are being inspected first and we are trying to avoid the need for further rematches.
Commissioned support locally – external and internal
· Welcome visits and support/case management is in full swing via commissioned voluntary support - as previously reported CHAT are working with the Devon Ukraine Assoc. The number of guests needing a visit means we have expanded the contract to include additional resource for initial visits and follow-up visits
· Specialist CAB support is in place for benefits claims especially Universal Credit and housing law
· Reviewing additional, money management (Money Maze) support and training via the charity Navigate
· Pressure on internal teams has meant inspections and scheme administration has been impacting on other statutory service delivery – now utilising HfU scheme funding to recruit temporary business admin and technical housing posts
Finance
· Funding for Q1 of the scheme has been received from DCC under agreed financial arrangement based on numbers and payments out. Further Q2-Q4 returns and payments in due course
- 60% of £10.5k per refugee (DCC 25%, 15% contingency for all) which includes £200 subsistence payment per head
- 100% of monthly £350 host ‘thank you’ payments
- Q1 payment of £640K banked
- Committed spend to date inc. some Q2 expenditure and existing staff time is around one-third of funding received so far @ £235k
Team Devon
· The Corporate Manager for Public Health, Regulation and Housing continues to lead and provide support into Team Devon level work (DCC and all Districts):
- Fortnightly meetings to review delivery/risks and ensure consistent Devon approach – link back into MDDC delivery team
- Reviewing a Devon-wide exit strategy around pending housing/accommodation pressures once hosting ends – joint solutions (work in progress)
- Bus travel for HfU negotiated with all major and some local operators across County – packs on 10 day rider return tickets per person, ideally for use for essential visits e.g. DWP/interviews but flexible
- Negotiated strong offer with Petroc for summer holidays and longer-term programme inc. Tiverton campus. Activities include:
o Summer programme (get to know - family cookery, arts and crafts, physical activity, trips to local attractions)
o 1:1 support from Adult Success Coaches
o ESOL (English language) support ranging from basic English for beginners to more advanced
o Employment and subject specific English language
o Online resources
o Identifying qualifications and professional certification – how to gain equivalency in UK
o Careers fair plus self-employment & entrepreneurship taster sessions
o Supervised age-appropriate play, sports, forest school and outdoor learning sessions
o Prep for school
o Advice and triage for longer-term needs
o Access to other funding streams and support
o Participant travel costs
- The Petroc offer and the various informal network events will help support transition to sustainable residency (employment, language, skills, accommodation, schools etc) and help during summer holiday period – likely to be testing for some host/guest relationships
· Continue to engage with DLUHC, LGA and DCN on scheme roll-out, pressures and risks and updated national guidance etc
Consideration was given to:
· Any support and help that elected Members could provide especially through Petroc.
· What next? Currently there was no end in sight to the war, therefore there was a need to begin to plan for the housing needs of a significant number of refugees on a potentially long term basis. Team Devon needed to treat this as a priority.
· How hard the Mid Devon team had worked and continue to work to support this scheme whilst still doing the ‘day job’.
· The importance of employment for the refugees.
It was AGREED an all Member briefing was needed on this subject as soon as possible.
Note: Cllr G Barnell declared a personal interest in that he was himself a matched ‘host’. He also provided some training to Ukrainian refugees.