Two Ukrainian pensioners in poor health are facing homelessness when their tenancy ends unless suitable accommodation can be found.

Valerii and Nataliia Safronova fled the war in Kharkiv and came to the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

They settled near their daughter, Kateryna Lukianchenko, in senior living accommodation in Farnham provided via a friend of Kate Larmer, founder of the Farnham Homes for Ukraine programme in 2022. The property is now being sold following a death in the owner’s family and the Safronovas must leave by April 30.

Ms Larmer and another Farnham resident, Natasha Fletcher, have been supporting the family and helped them apply to Waverley Borough Council under its prevention of homelessness duty.

Ms Larmer told The Herald: “Valerii and Nataliia are in their late 60s and in poor health. Waverley found them a flat in Haslemere but it wasn’t suitable as they couldn’t safely use the bath there.”

Nataliia has Ménière’s disease, which causes sudden acute vertigo lasting several days and can lead to falls. Her sight is also poor, and Valerii has rheumatoid arthritis, which limits his mobility. Currently, they have an accessible shower and alarm cords for emergencies. Kateryna is also their carer, so needs to be near them.

Ms Fletcher added: “The Haslemere property is also too expensive. Homes for Ukrainians would pay for the first six months, but they would have to sign a year’s contract and wouldn’t be able to pay after that. They would get housing benefit, but not enough to cover the cost and would need an extra £295 from their pension credit, which just wouldn’t be possible.”

Initially, the council told them they must accept the property by noon on April 13 and, if they did not, it would have discharged its duty to them. This would leave them facing homelessness. The Safronovas felt they had no choice but to reject it and, the following day, were told they would have emergency accommodation for two weeks, after which they would be housed in further emergency accommodation “primarily at Travelodge locations across various areas in the borough”.

The family and their supporters are worried the couple will not cope with this and are bidding for social housing, as they have been for many weeks. However, they have been assessed as having a Band C rating, meaning they do not have a high housing need.

Ms Fletcher said: “This means they drop low down on the list when a suitable place comes up and then have to start again. We are trying to get them moved to another band.”

A spokesperson for Waverley Borough Council said: “We don’t comment on the details of individual housing cases, but we do understand how worrying housing uncertainty can be, particularly for people who are already vulnerable or dealing with health issues.

“The council takes its responsibilities towards people at risk of homelessness very seriously. We are currently working in an extremely challenging housing environment, with very high demand for both temporary and permanent accommodation and a limited supply of suitable homes locally. Everyone who approaches the council for help is assessed in line with the law and national homelessness guidance, with their personal circumstances carefully considered. This ensures we treat everyone fairly.

“When accommodation is offered to help relieve or prevent homelessness, households do have the option to accept the property while still requesting a formal review of whether it meets their needs. This approach is designed to ensure people have somewhere safe to stay while any concerns about suitability are looked at.”