Housing Justice Cymru is calling on Penarth residents to become volunteer hosts for Ukrainian refugees.

The housing and homelessness charity is urgently seeking volunteer hosts as the Ukrainian crisis forces refugees to seek asylum in Wales.

Bonnie Williams, 39, director of Housing Justice Cymru, who lives in Penarth, told Nub News that the charity is under a lot of strain to find accommodation for all refugees and the Welsh Government's policy change during the pandemic has made the situation challenging.

"The Ukrainian crisis has meant that we're in a really difficult situation," said Bonnie. "During the pandemic, Welsh Government changed the homeless policy and removed 'priority need'.

"This meant that everybody who presents as homeless can get a house if there are houses available, and this is a massive policy change.

Bonnie added: "When people are saying that we should be housing our own first, in Wales, we are. The people outside the Co-op in Penarth are in a dreadful situation but, in theory, they can access accommodation under the local authority's point of view."

Finding accommodation is a significant problem in Wales. "Because of the policy change, we don't have available accommodation anymore," said Bonnie. "When we're looking at people coming from Ukraine, Welsh Government and ourselves are looking at how we can rapidly move our hosting programme.

"Predominately, in the beginning, it will mainly be mothers and children. Right now, it [finding hosts] is the only option we have because we are a nation of sanctuary. Hotels are not a sustainable option for people if they're going to be here for six months or so."

Penarth is a key area for Housing Justice Cymru to target potential hosts. "In Penarth, you've often got retired couples and very large houses," said Bonnie. "Ideally, that's what we're looking for, people that are involved with the local community and charities."

Housing Justice Cymru will provide support to hosts and refugees throughout with visits and phone calls. "The main requirement to become a host is to have a spare room and allow the individual or family to access the home," said Bonnie. "We often find the relationships they build are beneficial – they end up cooking together and forming friendships for life."

The process from registering your interest in becoming a host to welcoming refugees can take up to eight weeks, as a DBS check and home visits from the Housing Justice Cymru team are essential.

If you are interested in becoming a host, contact Romy Wood, hosting programme coordinator at Housing Justice Cymru [email protected]

You can also watch this video from a previous host about their experience.