FROME Town Council has discussed asking Mendip District and Somerset County councils to become guarantors, or provide housing deposits for Ukrainian refugees in Frome, as some of the guests prepare to move on from their host families.
The success of the Frome Welcomes Refugees scheme was discussed at the full town council meeting on Wednesday 16th November. Councillors heard that as some six-month contracts between Ukrainian guests and their host families are coming to an end, or as some guests look for independence, there is a question around housing and where guests will live. There was concern around challenges to get independent housing due to the absence of guarantors or difficulty in obtaining deposits.
Councillor Polly Lamb said, “Bristol, a far larger and wealthier council than Mendip, has a large package of help when they are looking for housing. If some have been here for six months they might have to move on now or they might want some independence. Some are working and supported by Universal Credit.
“The problem is that they can’t go on the housing list because they do not have a local connection, please correct me if I am wrong, they do not have guarantors. Bristol council have stepped in to say they will be a guarantor and provide furniture and deposits. These people here do not have that immediate network. They are relying on getting into a system that isn’t really supporting them. Can we specifically request, as a Frome Town Council, that Mendip offers to be a guarantor or a deposit scheme, or something that can help them further get rented accommodation as a next step. They can stay here for up to three years and that is a long time.
Frome’s Mayor, cllr Sara Butler said, “I can’t speak to everyone but I’d assume that is something we’d be keen to look into going up the chain.”
Peter Macfadyn from the group Frome Welcomes Refugees said, “This is not over. It’s easy to think that because yes people look well settled. It’s a nightmare for these people. I asked someone the other day, ‘how are you?’ And she said ‘fine’, then there was a pause and she said actually, I am really homesick. One of the things I think is the most difficult is that they don’t know what is happening next.”
The town council have noted to look further into the problems being experienced about future housing.
For more information about Frome Welcomes Refugees visit, www .frometowncouncil.gov.uk/help-frome-welcome-refugees/
