Ukrainian mother left without suitable accommodation by Wiltshire Council

A volunteer for the Swindon Welcomes Ukraine committee, Anastasiia Batanska has been living with a host family in Marlborough for the last 6 months with her two children. Despite notifying Wiltshire council of her need to find new accomodation that she can afford, the council have today had to move her into emergency temporary accommodation that has no carpets, furniture or white goods.

Anastasiia told Wiltshire Council six months ago that she couldn’t extend her stay after six months with her host. She has secured a job locally in Marlborough and wanted to start renting privately, but the rent prices locally are unaffordable.

Wiltshire council also consider Anastasiia as only able to look for three bedroom properties, because they deem it unsuitable for her thirteen year old daughter to share with her two year old son. She therefore cant get any assistance from them for a deposit or first months rent (as they have been offering other Ukrainians) unless its a 3 bedroom property.

“We have been living with our host family between two bedrooms,” says Anastasiia, “and so why cant my children share a bedroom I have no idea.”

Anastassia has therefore been bidding on housing association housing in Marlborough but has been unsuccessful as she’s not a high enough priority.

Under Section 188, as she is now technically homeless Wiltshire Council have a legal obligation to find her temporary accommodation and have offered her a temporary two bed flat in Chippenham, 45 minutes from Marlborough.  

Anastasiia turned up at that accommodation yesterday and recorded this video:

She has had no choice but to accept the property, even though it’s 40 minutes from Marlborough where her children are at school and nursery and she has a job and training to be a swimming teacher for the local leisure centre. 

The average wait time for housing association properties for Wiltshire is 2 years. 

To add more challenge to the situation, if she moved her children out of Marlborough schools, and gave up her job to get one in Chippenham, she would lose her Council defined “parish connection” which is a big factor of getting priority social housing where she wishes to live. 

Wiltshire council like all councils receive £10,500 per Ukrainian to support them while they are here, so they have received over £30,000 to support Anastasiia and her family but this money is clearly not being spent on accommodation post-hosting solutions.

Sofiia Volovyk, chair of Swindon Welcomes Ukraine said,

“Anastasia is looking after 2 children, a job, training to be a swimming coach and volunteering on the Swindon Welcomes Ukraine committee, helping to build a Ukrainian community in swindon and making sure they are settled and welcome.  A stark contrast to her experience in Wiltshire.”

The Swindon Welcomes Ukraine committee and now helping secure furniture for Anastasiia and looking for a flooring company who can provide vinyl flooring. Meanwhile Vice-Chair Kris Talikowski is lobbying to get the rules changed.

“It’s ridiculous that Anastasiia won’t receive support unless her children have their own bedrooms when they’ve been happily hosted in across two bedrooms for the last 12 months. What’s worse is the state of the temporary accommodation and how far away it is from where she is settled. This is a vast difference as to how the excellent Warm Welcome team are supporting Ukrainians in the Borough of Swindon.”

If you want to support Anastasiia, please get in touch.