Large blue and yellow Ukrainian flags sway in the sunshine above shops and cafes on a Twickenham street, as this quiet west London suburb shows solidarity with the plight of Ukrainians. 

Here, and all across the country, thousands of people have offered up spare rooms to Ukrainian refugees, encouraged by the government-initiated 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, which offers a small monthly payment to hosts who are able to provide a free room for six months or longer. But so far, relatively few hosts have been successfully matched with Ukrainian refugees, largely due to bureaucracy and a cumbersome visa process, leaving many Ukrainian refugee guests in limbo and prospective hosts frustrated.

'Our host family helps us with everything'

Nataliia Podshyvalova is one of the few fortunate Ukrainian refugees who has already found a home in London. When she fled Kyiv with her son soon after the start of the conflict, she chose to head to the UK, mainly because she speaks good English and her employer, an international courier company, has offered her work in their London office. 

Local volunteers introduced her to hosts Jens Larsen and Cristina Alfonsin, and she moved in with them almost a month ago. She says they immediately made her feel welcome. 

"Our host family helps us with everything. How to find a school, how to go the (town) center, how to go everywhere, how to meet people - everything," she says. 

Jens and Cristina, who wanted to show their support for Ukraine, say the arrangement is working well for them too. 

"We've enjoyed it, we fit together well as families. We've managed both to be together but also continue with our own lives. So, I think it's worked really nicely,"says Jens. "It makes us feel that we're contributing to a family that's worthwhile helping."

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Community spirit

Although Jens and Cristina have signed up for the official government scheme, assistance has mostly come from the local community. 

"It's more from the community and people who are involved - volunteers in the community who are providing most of the support. The UK government webpage sends updates to sponsors, but there's no actual interaction with any of us," says Cristina. 

With this in mind, a nearby Ukrainian restaurant - Prosperity - arranged a get together, seating hosts at a the table with refugees, so they could get to know each other over tea and share cakes decorated with icing in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag. One of the event organizers, Sofia Smirnova, says the aim is to offer legal and practical advice to Ukrainians coming to the area. 

"I think there's definitely a bit of a mismatch with the resources that are provided for how those sponsors who are living here are able to find those Ukrainian families and how those Ukrainian families can in turn reach out to hosts here," says Smirnova. "I think the creation and facilitation of a system that... Ukrainians could [access] from Ukraine, or wherever they are right now, to come here, that's really what's needed."

Slowly, some Ukrainian refugees are starting to arrive in the UK, despite the obstacles. But they face yet more practical hurdles as they settle in and the community support on offer will be much needed.