Only 23 per cent of people hosting Ukrainian refugees in Cambridgeshire are believed to be willing to continue to do so for over a year.

In a report published ahead of Cambridge City Council’s Housing Scrutiny Committee on September 22, it said the authority is developing a homelessness prevention plan.

The plan will include a proposal to make up to 20 council homes available for Ukrainian refugees.

In March 2022, the government launched its Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme where people in the UK were asked to come forward to host refugees for a minimum of six months.

The report said that “many hosts” came forward in Cambridge and that as of September 1, there were 383 guests spread across 203 households.

It explained that as these placements are not permanent and Ukrainian households have been offered three-year visas, the city council has been preparing a homelessness prevention plan.

The report said: “Local and national data analysis work, unsurprisingly suggests that most sponsorship arrangements are not long term.

“Local data from hosts across Cambridgeshire suggests only 23 per cent are willing to fulfil the host role for more than 12 months.

“Looking at what we know to date about host commitments, the council’s own assessment suggests that the end of host arrangements within Cambridge could peak in October and November of this year.”

The report continued that Cambridgeshire County Council has been promised £10,500 per individual refugee under the government’s scheme.

It also said that the city council is in discussion with the county council about its homelessness prevention plan in order to release the funds to put it into practice.

The report explained that when existing hosting arrangements look like they will be coming to an end, it will first look at “rematching” with an alternative host.

It added that incentives and additional support for existing hosts to continue for longer will also be explored.

If neither of these options is possible, the city council is planning to extend its HB Plus scheme with a “bespoke package” to secure private rented accommodation for Ukrainian households in, or on the outskirts of, the city.

If a suitable private rented home cannot be found, then the authority is proposing to work with housing associations and use its own council homes to find people accommodation.

The report said that this plan should be entirely funded from government funds allocated via the county council.