Ukrainian family of 9 in Fareham have 'no idea what to do' on eve they are made homelessness by Royal Navy officer and wife - with Hampshire County Council accused of 'lies' and 'doing nothing'

Maxim and Olga Hyryk, both 36, launched a desperate appeal for any local families to take them in when they are booted out of the bungalow they have been staying by senior Royal Navy officer Dudley Malster, 40, and his wife Kelly, 46.

The family, who fled war-torn Kyiv and travelled across Europe before arriving in the UK, received a bombshell solicitor’s letter from their hosts informing them they had to leave – with no explanation.

The Ukrainians had been staying in a two-bedroom Park Gate bungalow on a farm next door to the hosts since May 11 and are now settled in the area with their children going to school and pre-school.

But despite a Just Giving fundraising campaign that has smashed its £12,600 target by raising nearly £21,000, the family still have no idea where they will go on the eve of their eviction.

Maxim said: ‘We still do not know what to do. Every day we have appointments with estate agents before we are told we are not accepted by the landlords, probably because our family is too big.

‘We have offered to pay six or 12 months up front and have guarantors but still we are not accepted. I know it is difficult and landlords have the right to say no but it is hard for us.

‘On Friday we don’t have anywhere to go. I just trust things will be ok.’

Hampshire County Council, working with Fareham Borough Council, said it is working to ‘ensure support is provided’.

But Maxim blasted the county council, saying: ‘They do nothing. They make statements they are helping us but it is lies. I have asked many times for help and they don’t do anything.

‘I don’t trust them. Housing is not the only option they could help with, they could find a match with another host family.

‘The last I heard from them was the beginning of last week when they said we have to manage our problem ourselves because we have raised a lot of money. But we only raised the money because they weren’t helping.’

Even though the couple have raised £20, 960, Maxim said it would take time to receive the money due to Just Giving’s policy.

Meanwhile the family are still in the dark over the reasons why they were slapped with an eviction notice by the hosts after initially gelling on well.

‘It was a big shock. We tried to contact them but they have not answered our calls,’ Maxim said.

‘We see them every day and our kids go to the same school but they do not want to speak to us. They have not given us any explanation over why they want to remove us.’

The family is made up of the couple, their five children which includes two sets of twins, Olga’s 70-year-old dementia-suffering mum, and Maxim’s mum.

They all travelled together through Ukraine for nine days before reaching the Polish border and then travelling through Germany, Holland, Belgium and France.

Olga, speaking of their challenges, said: ‘It was very difficult and there were times when rockets were actively flying in and air strikes were carried out throughout Ukraine.

‘After that, we spent a long time in Poland on the border with Ukraine in the small village of Baligrod in temporary housing for refugees. When we made the decision to come to Britain, first of all we thought about the future and the future of the children.

‘It was not easy for us to make the decision to move so far away, as having fled from Ukraine we were without money and savings.’

Maxim added: ‘If anyone has any accommodation they can offer us then we would be very grateful.

‘Because we are Ukrainian we have no credit history here which has made it difficult.

‘We love the area and really want to stay here especially because the children are settled.

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A Hampshire County Council statement said: ‘We support more than 800 families who have settled in Hampshire, and their sponsors, as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

‘We are aware of this family’s situation and can confirm that we are working with Fareham Borough Council to ensure support is provided.

‘The majority of host/ guest arrangements under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme in Hampshire appear to be working well, but in circumstances where either party wishes to cease the arrangement, local authorities are able to support, either through suggesting alternative independent accommodation arrangements or possible re-matching with new hosts.’

Mr Malster, based in Portsmouth, has enjoyed a 20-year military career attached to the UK’s High Readiness Maritime Force having served in Afghanistan, Bahrain and spent a year on secondment with the Canadian military, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He has been a warfare officer on several Type 23 Frigates, including HMS Northumberland and HMS Argyll and taken part in anti-drug operations in the Caribbean.

Maxim said the hosts, who have two children, were warm to begin with as they settled into their new life – with Kelly even collecting the family from Stansted Airport to make them feel at home.

Mr Malster was approached for comment.

Contact details for the family are on the fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/olhahyryk