Ukrainian refugees turn to food banks as UK hosts struggle with costs

theguardian.com:

A London host of a Ukrainian family has written to her local food bank “begging for help” because rising energy costs mean she can no longer afford to feed her new guests.

The Ukrainian family, now coming to a food bank in Euston, north London, every week, is among a growing number of recently arrived refugees from the war-torn country relying on handouts to survive, according to charities.

Helena Aksentijevic, manager of the Euston food bank, said she had been handed the letter by the Ukrainian family. It was from the host and said that they were struggling to cover the extra cost of feeding two women and two children, as well as additional energy costs.

Aksentijevic said the system was “a mess” and that the number of Ukrainian refugees coming to the food bank, which had had a 300% increase in visitors since the start of the pandemic, was rising rapidly.

Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, refugees are eligible for a £200 interim payment for subsistence costs, provided by their local council, and can apply for benefits, including universal credit, pension credit, disability benefits, carer’s allowance and child benefit. However, some say their access to benefits has been delayed because they have not yet received biometric residence permits. The government denies this.

Sponsors can claim £350 a month from the government. They do not have to feed refugees, but many do.

Most of the Ukrainians coming to the food banks are women with children, but Aksentijevic said they had also been visited by a teenage boy. “I can only see us getting more and more people from that community,” she said.

The Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan) and the Trussell Trust, which between them represent hundreds of food banks, report that newly arrived