Almost 40 East Devon households come forward to offer homes to Ukrainian refugees

Almost 40 households in East Devon have come forward to offer homes for Ukrainian refugees.

According to the Home Office, as of March 29, 37 households in the district had responded to the government's scheme to provide housing to people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  East Devon District Council (EDDC) says its private housing team is undertaking property inspections and Devon County Council (DCC) is carrying out safeguarding checks to make sure the homes are suitable. It is part of the government-run Homes for Ukraine scheme. Upper-tier local authorities will be paid £10,500 for every Ukrainian refugee housed in their area, with an additional top-up to help support children's education. Individuals who provide accommodation to Ukrainian refugees will be paid £350 per month for up to a year.  Speaking at an EDDC cabinet meeting, John Golding, the council's strategic lead for housing, health and the environment said: "We are totally committed to playing our part in the scheme and are fully engaged in what is quite a rapidly developing project. "We are also appreciative of the generous offers from sponsors or host households that have come forward in East Devon to provide a home for people fleeing from the horrendous violence that we've been seeing in Ukraine." Chair of the Devon District's Forum Councillor Bob Deed commented: "The fighting continues to have a devastating impact on civilians, and we have a moral duty to support families fleeing Ukraine to join their family members here in the UK. "There has been a huge groundswell of goodwill with many Devon residents registering to help with more registering every day, and now we are focused with ensuring that the refugees can join their families as quickly and safely as possible. "The safety and wellbeing of those we are welcoming is one of our main priorities we have already made good progress in that regard." A new website for Devon now hosts the latest guidance and information as it becomes available. "As soon as we receive new information or guidance from Government, we will post it on the website." On March 30, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that more than four million people had left Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February, Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War Two.