Grainger : Giving | Homes for Ukraine

Press Release

Grainger plc, Newham Council

Grainger and Newham Council work in partnership to provide six Ukrainian refugee

families with free long-term housing

On Monday 12 September, six refugee families from Ukraine, displaced by the war, moved into their new homes in Poppy Apartments at Millet Place in Pontoon Dock, Newham, London.

The six brand new apartments being donated for a year by Grainger, the UK's largest listed residential landlord via its in-house affordable housing arm, Grainger Trust, is the equivalent of approximately £150,000.

Young children from three of the families are receiving specialist cancer medical treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital, the UK's leading children hospital. To date these families have been spread throughout London in temporary accommodation and have not had a place to call home, or been able to enrol the children in schools.

Newham Council have been instrumental in making the donation possible. Newham has the singular highest Ukrainian population in the UK, and the remaining three families moving into Poppy Apartments have been living in Newham since seeking refuge in the UK earlier in the year.

The Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Chair of Grainger Trust, Colin Sherriff, and Director of Corporate Affairs at Grainger, Kurt Mueller, welcomed the families in person.

Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham, said: "I am so pleased to welcome these families who have faced so much hardship into our community here in Newham. I'd like to thank Grainger PLC for their generosity and support and look forward to seeing our new residents put down roots in Newham and make our borough their home.

"Throughout Newham's history, we have welcomed refugees, who in return have contributed and made our borough a thriving and diverse place to live in. Today, we continue to honour this legacy by welcoming these families who have gone through an arduous journey with open arms. Newham will do all it can to support organisations working here and overseas to help those fleeing Putin's war."

Colin Sherriff, Chair of Grainger Trust, said: "At Grainger Trust we are delighted and honoured to be able to help the families who have faced such dreadful circumstances because of the war. We hope that by making Poppy Apartments their home they can begin to find some stability."

Kurt Mueller, Director of Corporate Affairs at Grainger plc, said: "As the UK's leading landlord with a strong commitment to being a responsible business and whose core purpose is Renting Homes and Enriching Lives, today's donation reflects two of our organisation's values, 'Every home matters' and 'People at the heart'. We hope that our new residents settle in swiftly and enjoy making Poppy Apartments at Millet Place their new home in the UK."

Poppy Apartments, owned and operated by Grainger Trust, the affordable housing arm of Grainger plc, is part of Millet Place - a new build-to-rent housing scheme comprising 236 homes, a mix of private rental and affordable rental homes.