Ukraine refugees face weeks in Ayr hotel waiting for new home

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Ukrainian refugees could face weeks waiting in an Ayr hotel due to a lack of available hosts willing to take them in.Two bus loads of women and children fleeing their war-torn homeland are currently being held in the Mercure Hotel just 48 hours after South Ayrshire Council were first notified.A support volunteer who is helping the effort to provide safe new temporary homes for hundreds of terrified war survivors says the process is a “bureaucratic nightmare”.It is understood at least 60 refugees arrived to the Dalblair Road hotel on Friday, however council officials have refused to reveal details on the exact number.Simon Tyas, 69, fears the latest wave of refugees into Ayrshire could be the latest to fall victim to a badly organised scheme after witnessing other groups moved from hotel to hotel.And the member of the Scotland Ukraine Host Support Group is concerned over the dwindling numbers of hosts with people ‘put off’ taking in refugees due to the lack of support they receive.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.Simon who has taken in a 50-year-old Ukrainian woman and her 16-year-old son, told Ayrshire Live: “The super sponsor scheme is so badly organised, its as if it has been drawn up on the back of a fag packet.“For the Ukrainians, that means they’ve been moved from hotel to hotel, to hotel.“Some people are in the hotel for weeks before they are just moved