Alex Cole-Hamilton: Scotland should put out another call to rehome Ukrainians

The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has called on Holyrood to make another appeal for homes for Ukrainians as he prepares to welcome a refugee into his own.

Alex Cole-Hamilton signed up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme when the initial call for hosts was made in the weeks following Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

The Edinburgh MSP said he and his family met the Ukrainian who will be moving into his house as part of the scheme for the first time this week, and were “delighted to be welcoming her” in a few days.

“We decided to because we, first of all, have space. We as a family were absolutely horrified by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” he said.

“There is a human catastrophe happening across continental Europe and Scotland really needs to play its part, so this was the least we could do to offer up space in our home.”

Thousands of people who used to call Ukraine home were welcomed to Scotland, and a number of those are housed temporarily on a cruise ship in the capital.

But Mr Cole-Hamilton called on the Scottish Government to make a re-appeal for hosts north of the border as concern grows about having enough space.

“There are tens-of-thousands of Ukrainians looking for safe harbour in Scotland,” he said.

“There is also a lot of goodwill out there, but there’s a real worry that there just won’t be enough spaces or accommodation for them.”

“So I want the Scottish Government to do several things. Firstly, to reconnect with people and say we need homes for Ukrainians – there’s still goodwill out there.

“Secondly, we need to make sure that those people who do come forward are checked as quickly as possible through disclosure and the suitability of their property. (We) can’t let bureaucracy get in the way.

“And indeed, I want ministers to think whether they can do as we’ve done and perhaps welcome Ukrainians into their own homes as well.”

Neil Gray, minister with special responsibilities for refugees from Ukraine at the Scottish Government, said the country “continues to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in their hour of need”.

“I am proud that thanks in large part to our Super Sponsor Scheme, we are now providing safe accommodation to more displaced people from Ukraine per head of population than any other part of the UK,” he said.

“We have chosen to pause our scheme so that we can continue to provide a high level of support and care to everyone who has already been granted a visa.

“I want to express our thanks to the people across Scotland who have expressed an interest in temporarily hosting people displaced by the current conflict.

“Those homes are still very much needed. We are keen to see more people in Scotland volunteer as hosts if they think that they can provide a welcoming home for a displaced person or family, and will develop plans for a further campaign in the coming weeks.

“Furthermore, we continue to take significant action to increase our temporary accommodation capacity as well as boosting our matching system to maximise the number of people who can be placed with volunteer hosts who have completed the necessary safeguarding checks.”