18,000 Ukrainians might be forced to sleep in emergency refugee facilities in Scotland, with at least 1700 currently residing on CRUISE SHIPS, after 10,000 British citizens withdrew from the Homes for Ukraine program.
Up to 18,000 Ukrainian migrants in Scotland might be forced to reside in “refugee centers.”
These are comparable to the enormous halls used in Poland after World War II.
Half of the 20,000 Scots who agreed to welcome migrants have backed out of their commitments.
MS Ambition, a ship with a capacity of 1,700, landed in Edinburgh yesterday.
A potential flood of 18,000 Ukrainians with authorization to enter Scotland might be forced to sleep in emergency “refugee shelters” alongside many others after 10,000 hosts withdrew their lodging.
In June, the Scottish Government stopped its Super Sponsor visas, which designated the government as the primary sponsor.
MS Ambition, with the ability to temporarily shelter 1,700 migrants, landed in Glasgow yesterday as the second cruise ship to house refugees in Scotland.
MS Victoria, which has been moored at Leith, Edinburgh since July and has the capacity to host more than 750 migrants, is already home to hundreds of people.
According to the most recent data, 29,992 visas have been accepted under the Super Sponsor program, but only 12,390 refugees are in Scotland. This suggests that more than 17,600 refugees are yet to come.
However, more than half of the 20,000 Scots who offered as hosts for Homes for Ukraine have now withdrawn from the program.
After 10,000 hosts withdrew housing, a projected flood of 18,000 Ukrainians with authorization to visit Scotland might be forced to sleep in enormous halls with hundreds of others.
Yesterday, the MS Ambition was navigating the River Clyde under the Erskine Bridge in order to land at the King George V docks in Glasgow. From this month until March of next year, it will serve as housing for around 1,700 Ukrainian refugees.
Since July, the MS Victoria ferry, which has a capacity of more than 750, has offered temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees welcomed to Scotland. Oleksandra Kuleshyna, age 2, with her father Igor Kuleshyna (second from the right) and other members of the Freedom Ballet of Ukraine, who have been performing at this year’s Edinburgh Festival, beside MS Victoria at the Port of Leith, Edinburgh.
Now, the option of dormitory-style emergency housing in vast halls is being studied, as it was in Poland when war broke out.
But privacy concerns have been highlighted, and governments emphasize that security is a top issue.
In early June, Scotland’s minister for refugees, Neil Gray, highlighted ‘exponential rise’ in the number of persons asking for visas via the Super Sponsor program. As a result, the initiative was paused for three months in July while authorities dealt with a housing backlog.
As an emergency measure, the creation of refugee centers is being examined as part of a comprehensive study that will examine “innovative” options to long-term accommodation for Ukrainians, but will not be published for many weeks.
Mr. Gray said, “Obviously, we want to prevent it. The purpose of our work in the area of temporary housing is to give individuals with the welcome they deserve.
We want to do all possible to get past the hard condition of temporary housing and into a scenario that is more sustainable.
“The Scottish Government is providing safe and sustainable housing while individuals wait to be matched with appropriate long-term housing.
“The arrival of the MS Ambition in Glasgow is a crucial aspect of this offering, which means that we provide shelter to more displaced persons per capita than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.”
“We are working closely with the council and other local partners to finalize plans for how the ship will be utilized, with the safety of all on board as our first concern.”
He continued, “Now that the MS Ambition has arrived, this work will begin swiftly, and passengers will travel aboard once the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council are satisfied that all essential preparations, including health and safety inspections, have been met.”
We do not want anybody to remain in temporary housing, such as cruise ships, for any longer than is strictly required.
“We continue to take considerable measures to expand our temporary housing capacity and to enhance our matching system in order to maximize the number of individuals who may be placed with volunteer hosts who have passed the essential safety checks.”
Scotland has accepted 15,757 refugees through both the Super Sponsor and individual sponsor schemes, approximately 18% of the total number of migrants admitted to the United Kingdom.
Sarah Boyack, the Scottish Labour party’s spokesperson for foreign affairs, said, “If this is true, it would be a betrayal of people who need our assistance now.”
“This is incomprehensible in terms of people’s privacy and safety, considering what they have previously through before arriving in Scotland.
It reveals the SNP’s inability to make the Super Sponsor program effective.
“Promises cannot be made only for the sake of grabbing headlines.
Where is the preparation to assist the poor people who have been fleeing Putin’s invasion for many months?
Sarah Boyack, Scottish Labour’s spokesman for foreign affairs, said, “This is incomprehensible in terms of people’s privacy and safety, considering what they have previously through before arriving in Scotland.” Pictured: In March, refugees who escaped the violence in Ukraine relax inside an ancient railway station in Krakow, Poland that has been turned into a temporary refugee shelter.
In July, the Humanitarian Aid Center was established in the Global Expo exposition hall in Warsaw to aid Ukrainian migrants. The improvised refugee center was intended as a temporary measure.
Neil Gray, the Scottish minister for refugees, said, “We do not want individuals to remain in temporary housing, such as cruise ships, for any longer than absolutely required.” Photographed: Ukrainians in a refugee camp converted from an exhibition hall in Nadarzyn, near Warsaw
Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said, “We have these unfortunate individuals who have battled their way out of Ukraine with Scotland in their sights – and I don’t believe they would have imagined an abandoned gymnasium as a place to sleep.”
The 714-cabin MS Ambition, which has been rented for six months, will be stationed at the King George V piers on the River Clyde, and passengers will board and disembark through 24-hour shuttle bus services.
The ship is part of a Government deal with Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd for up to £100 million to source and deliver travel-related services for displaced Ukrainians.
Mr. Cole-Hamilton said, “When I initially learned that new immigrants will be kept aboard a cruise ship, I was instantly worried for their safety and appropriateness.
The operators are doing everything possible to make these ships more pleasant, but this is at best a temporary solution, not a permanent one. These boats may be inhabitable today, but there is a genuine possibility that circumstances may deteriorate as they fill up and winter approaches.