The Isle of Wight Council has been given more than £2million to buy properties for Ukrainian refugees.
It could support 9 families who have settled on the Island, of the more than 200 Ukrainians who arrived here.
The £2.2million comes from the Homes for Ukraine grants and can only be used for this purpose – part of the government’s £150million fund to support those who fled following Russia’s invasion.
No homes have been bought yet and the Isle of Wight Council has emphasised that the money will not impact the authority’s ability to support Island families and those who are homeless.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the money will help reduce the risk of Ukrainians becoming homeless as they try to find alternative places to live.
Currently, the majority of refugees are being housed with host families.
Latest figures show that between the start of the war and 18th July, 255 Ukrainians have arrived on the Island, sponsored by families to get visas. Around 350 Ukrainians originally applied for visas, supported by Island residents, but only 306 were issued and even fewer people arrived.
And what do you suppose they will do once here?
Find work, pay taxes, contribute to their local community and try to recover from the horrors that forced them to flee their homeland in terror.
And it’s my sincere hope that they’ll get every support possible from the locals.
Why are Ukrainians being treated any different to all the other migrants fleeing war and far worse – but this Country doesn’t discriminate does it ?. Most Ukrainians that arrived are well off and some drove here in New car’s,they are not working classes from council estates most have means.
Another “Daily Fail and Google addict!
I still don’t understand why they aren’t housed on the barges like the other refugees will imminently be?
Because the refugees from Ukraine are not here ILLEGALLY like the boat people. They are decent, law abiding people who have been made homeless through no fault of their own. I hope they do find work and pay taxes, unlike the boat people who many are criminals and have no intention of living here and finding work and contributing to society. They will just take from it and this must not be allowed to happen. The UK is losing its identity.
Are u going to put them up in your house? Me my partner and our 4 children are going to be homeless by September. Landlord is selling. We both work but can’t find accommodation. Pay taxes. Have money for deposit etc but no one interested. Can’t even think of how much council tax we paid over the years now we need help don’t get it. Perhaps become a smackhead and might get everything on a plate.
Your delusional
Ok well the council has purchased a house 2 doors down from me that they have put troubled people in from the mainland all they do is sit in the garden all day smoking cannabis we are paying for this and the council are making money from this
It’s disgusting what the IOW Council are doing. They are knowingly bringing in troublemakers. Makes my blood boil. They wouldn’t have them living next to them so why do they think it’s acceptable to stick these lowlife wasters in the wider community.
Taking money from other councils
Sounds like garfield house
Agreed. Genuine refugees who want to go home when this is all over. They are not economic migrants seeking permanent residence.
Probably get a job doing all the underpaid, unappreciated dirty work that us British don’t want to do, and try to integrate into society as best they can? What would YOU do if you had to flee your home and move to a foreign country with no prior planning or resources?
How come OUR woman and children stayed and worked in factories etc and on farms to HELP their men who were fighting? Even the kids mucked in and gathered fruit etc.
This lot seem to be just economic migrants ‘using’ war to better their lot in life, at OUR expense.
A lot of that going on daily so lets have the whole world jump on the bandwagon whilst WE all pay and suffer for it.
Disgusting.
No they didn’t. Women and children were evacuated from dangerous areas to less risky areas.
You are talking about WORLD WARS. This war is isolated to Ukraine
Bet you don’t actually earn enough to pay income tax or NI, just topping up your income, if you have one, with UC.
Yes, but we weren’t invaded.
Ben isn’t saying they are refugees. He’s saying troublemakers from the mainland have been bought here and housed. This is what the bloody IOW Council do, they get paid for taking the sh*t families that have been moved around the mainland, there is basically nowhere else for them to go because they have been moved on by every other Council. These people don’t work, they don’t contribute to society, they just take from it. So very very wrong.
Problem I’m having atm. Crime rates going up, no doctors hospitals etc. Obviously doesn’t affect some people with money
Probably start shelling Wroxall indiscriminately for eight years like they did back home…
You obviously dream of that happening.
Dreaming ? They have been shelling donbas for the last 8 years do your history please
I didn’t realise that Wroxall is in Donbas. That explains everything.
Perhaps they could start with your abode, your Dna obviously needs ending.
Wow Mr fed-up are you fishing for a gold medal like Boris Johnson ?
They will work as people from other countries want to work.
Wow Jim are you fishing for a gold medal like Boris Johnson ?
What do you do here?
Been in full time employment for 27 years work a 45 hour week from Monday to Saturday no sick pay with 24 day’s holiday a year that ok?
How much of that money will be filtered between dodgy councilors and solicitors inside trading.Books will be fixed etc etc.And it does go on. Especially dodgy solicitors .
Most of them are working hard on The Island already they have found jobs or gone to St Mary’s as Dr to help our NHS, jobs are here our residents don’t want to work or look to hard… And the nearest they have come to fleeing for their lives has been thought of getting out of bed to make a cup of tea!! “next”!
Probably more than you. Hard working people with decency and integrity
They will work and become part of the community. They have fled an ongoing war whete they have sadly had no choice but to flee leaving behind their culture family friends and there homes. Bless everyone who has hosted these poor familys.
Unfair competition for our own home grown talent
Governments £150M plan to help refugees, so more tax for us , close a few hospitals, shut a few schools, give the Houses of Parliament another make over more Tahiti bars .. stop investing in the UK … burden our future generations with more debt …..that’s called Tory levelling up ..
Don’t keep voting for the tories then
Is this some sort of joke what about people who need houses now who have been waiting years absolute joke
So true Sarah, it would help if Council/ Housing associations allocated House’s much quicker, 3 months in some cases, people are desperate
No it’s not a joke if island residents stopped breeding they wouldn’t need a house or a flat, they can find a caravan to live in.
Get a better job and buy a flat or house. Stop expecting hand outs.
White and British born here go to the bottom of the list
And rightly so because there is no reason for you not to be working and paying for your own needs.
The headline should have read:
Calling all xenophobes: show us your worst side
Some people on this island disgust me.
Doesn’t it just althought I think you I’ll find one person who is so brave he has several different names but plays the same tune every time!
Im of the opinion, Ukrainians do need help during an awful time within their own country, however there are island folks who are on their knees begging to find accommodation, those with families, I guess you need to help you own country/island residents, before you help anyone else…. I understand, it’s not easy for these guys from Ukraine coming to a foreign country and trying to make a fresh start and I feel for them, put yourself in their shoes, but our own island is under massive pressure to home our own community too and shouldn’t be forgotten.
The ukraine war doesn’t affect the whole country – they could have relocated to the western part of the country and stayed there
Yeah, this is very different from the rib across the channel mob. Can’t imagine being ripped from my life and have to start up new somewhere foreign ..
What about the Islands homeless British persons, will you buy houses for them,
or don’t they matter
There aren’t any.
This is disgusting take care of your native people first.
So you think it’s ok these immigrants get a free pass. Most of them are men of military age!!!!!
This is disgusting – the government can find money for every sob story going, but doesn’t want to support the hard working british taxpayer, that was born in this country.
no to more taxes to pay for more freeloaders – what about the islanders who were born here that want a house – are you going to help them council – bet not, you are too busy virtue signalling for every other sponging deadbeat that turns up
Latest figures show that between the start of the war and 18th July, 255 Ukrainians have arrived on the Island
that is another 255 taking up space at the doctors, dentist, hospitals and benefits office – they should go back to ukraine and fight for their country, instead of hiding here.
You want children to go fight the Russians. Your a brave one.
The family I know is a mum and two young children. They live with a family, she found a job straight away and are desperate to go home as soon as it’s safe. They all learnt to speak English very quickly. If you met them you would feel very differently than the comment you have made.
really – so all this chit chat about equality yet i don’t see this woman on the front line with the men – hypocrites
You would struggle to find one who is not working and supporting themselves plus their families.
And yet there is nothing in the pot for the indigenous population. Only cuts and closures of services.
Enough already!
And what about our own islanders who are struggling to find homes!
Find a caravan to live or stop breeding.
This must stop now ENGLISH FIRST I hope theres no men mowing in they should be fighting
Mowing? The lawn? I see you found caps lock on your keyboard, next try looking for the apostrophe and a full stop.
The Ukrainian people have passed through a large, safe area of their own country, numerous safe countries, all the way to our mainland and arrived on our tiny little island. Therefore their housing is not a necessity, it is a choice. Priority for island housing should be given to islanders who were born here and do not wish to leave their homeland and family in search of a home on the mainland. Housing priority should be given to island families to help them to stay together.
Perhaps if a ‘charity’ meaning people had a CHOICE, whether to pay into it or not, then all those who now after watching some sad news report ‘think’ that Ukrainians are their bestees, yet had likely hardly heard of them pre-war, could give, or house them, and let us who prefer to see our own people looked after could avoid giving.
Then none of us could complain, expect for the fact that they are STILL taking a home a Island family could be in, so still forcing a piece of land to have another house on it, still taking power, water, sewage, landfill, doctors, nurses, school places, tax credits and no doubt thousands more than they will mostly likely EVER earn.
How many will be born in the mean time
you will of course have noted that all these hand wringing do gooders that rushed to offer a ukranian space in there homes were never so keen to help a struggling english family though – hypocrites.
Surley this is a joke this country is sinking under the amount of people rowing across the channel in drives to be put up at our expense and now we are encouraging even more to follow suit ,the mind boggles at the stupidity of these actions .
It is criminal what is currently going on in Ukraine. The people didn’t ask Russia to invade their country, kill and destroy their everything. So I feel so sorry for them all.
What the IOW Council are failing to do, is to put islanders first. Islanders who have been homeless for years. I guess they are being told to take displaced Ukrainians and house them by central government in Westminster. Here’s 2.2 million, make it happen!
Rightly or wrong they are fighting a proxy war for NATO of which we are a member it could be are soldiers there fighting and dying we should help them all we can
I think the Ukrainian people don’t understand how small our island is and how the shortage of housing and job opportunities is forcing young families apart from their homeland and support of their parents. The Ukraine has a huge population, many looking for a permanent new country. If they care for us they would withdraw their housing applications and choose a large, welcoming, safe EU country closer to their homeland that can accommodate their population. After all, their desire to join the EU is what initially upset Putin. Poland shares their culture, language and religion.