Government cuts Homes for Ukraine host payments by 70%, from £350 to £100 a month
Monthly 'thank you' payments to UK hosts under the Homes for Ukraine scheme will fall from £350 to £100 from 1 January 2027, with council tariffs cut from £5,900 to £3,300. Refugees fear the cut could leave them homeless.
Ukrainians living in the UK fear they could be left homeless after the government cut funding for hosts of the Homes for Ukraine scheme by roughly 70%, reducing monthly “thank you” payments to hosts from £350 to £100.
The Guardian reported on Thursday that the reduction applies from 1 January 2027. The scheme, launched after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has supported 181,000 of the 234,000 Ukrainians who have sought sanctuary in the UK. A 15 September written ministerial statement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also cut the per-arrival tariff paid to councils from £5,900 to £3,300.
The Commons debated the changes on 15 September, when lead MP Florence Eshalomi raised the cuts. Funding for the most vulnerable arrivals, including unaccompanied minors, will remain at current levels.
Refugees have warned the cut could end hosting arrangements. Tetiana, a 73-year-old refugee who fled Kharkiv and has been hosted for two years and four months, told The Guardian she feared she had “no idea where I will go”. The Independent reported on Friday that ministers were warned the cut risks “sending the wrong message to Putin”.
Sources
- The Guardian (via europesays), “Ukrainians in UK fear cut to funds for Homes for Ukraine hosts could make them homeless”, 24 September 2026: https://www.europesays.com/ukraine/47227/
- The Independent, “Government warned Homes for Ukraine funding cut may ‘send wrong message to Putin’”, 25 September 2026 (lead: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiuAFBVV95cUxPcnNFS1NJMnRUMlV0VWs5Z01QWWxxQ0Z0WGRLejh1aGJJd1V0SjRLc1g3bzhiZ1BiOHh1ZGR0QmtaMGZqZDZRWVdrTWxzZXc0LUZFV3RiOVE2S3RFRDZWNHJfUzgzSjBrck1vTU5nWjdEUU84Z3hRR1R2Smt2cGlWQmpmbTF6MDFIOUFEM1pnVzl1MDhDZk9kOTZoUHd6eUlpRS1wdkdsLVlMX3pWSUFjYlBvZ0hQNy1v)
- House of Commons debate, “Homes for Ukraine funding changes”, 15 September 2026: https://www.commons-sense.co.uk/commons-chamber/2026-09-15/homes-for-ukraine-funding-changes
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