Launched in July 2022, LandAid’s Ukraine Small Grants Scheme has delivered £77,000 worth of support for families fleeing the war in Ukraine.
The scheme has been developed out of an ongoing long-term project to coordinate a response to the refugee crisis by the property industry, in collaboration with the British Property Federation.
Enabled by initial interest and support from LandAid’s property industry partners, the charity has engaged with Refugee Action, Refugee Council, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, convening a roundtable with key industry partners and charities to explore long term options for action.
Recognising a more immediate short-term need for support for those coming to the UK, the Small Grants Scheme was launched, and will be in place until the end of October.
Funds in the scheme are awarded to grassroots initiatives across the UK, in a programme that is designed to be flexible to respond to the needs articulated by communities.
The range of projects supported so far include welfare advice, mental health and mediation, English language tuition and employability support. Funds have been awarded to charities such as Refugees at Home, Positive Action in Housing, Aspire, and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, amongst others.
Kevin Hunter, Grants Programme Manager at LandAid said: ‘Approximately 125,000 refugees have entered the UK from Ukraine this year, all of whom require support in housing, and experience barriers to employment, poverty, mental health issues, and discrimination.
‘The government’s Homes for Ukraine Scheme has enabled many thousands of Ukrainians to find safety in the UK through the generosity of hosts. However, many of these newly-arrived families and individuals are faced with an unknown future, and potential homelessness if they are not able to secure housing of their own.
‘We are grateful to the valuable partners within our industry for stepping up during this crisis, to support those in need, in the same way we were able to react and respond through our COVID-19 Emergency Fund. Our thanks especially go to Frontier Estates, CBRE, Mace, and British Land for supporting the programme.
‘The Ukraine Small Grants Scheme is part of a much bigger conversation about how the property industry can best support the long-term housing needs of refugees of all nationalities, and we look forward to putting a response in place as soon as possible.’