NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Britons Can Now Receive $450 a Month to Host Ukrainian Refugees

Hosts will have to submit to background checks and property evaluations to make sure the accommodations are suitable.

The British government is incentivizing residents to open their homes to Ukrainian refugees with a new $450 monthly stipend. A web portal for the program called “Homes for Ukraine” will open by the end of next week, the government announced. Interested hosts with available rooms or homes will be asked to agree to hosting Ukrainians for at least six months. Brits will also have to submit to background checks and property evaluations to make sure the accommodations are suitable. “The U.K. stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour,” Michael Gove, the minister for housing, announced in a statement. “I urge people across the country to join the national effort and offer support to our Ukrainian friends. Together we can give a safe home to those who so desperately need it.” The program’s debut comes after British politicians have criticized government requirements that Ukrainian refugees have visas and biometric evaluations to enter the country, Reuters reports. Through “Homes for Ukraine,” those fleeing the Russian invasion will be allowed to seek refuge in the U.K. regardless of whether they have family members in Britain.