Starting in late March, we have developed a process to coordinate and support Ukrainian guests (refugees) coming to hosts in the local area. Despite the challenges of securing visas and travel, there are now 15 family units in a wide area from Guestling to Northiam and Winchelsea to Rye. More might yet arrive as some applications are still pending.
The Homes for Ukraine scheme represents a fundamentally new approach, giving refugees the stability and support of a family host rather than the isolation and expense of a hotel. Locally we are working to make sure that it is a success, but there have been plenty of issues to solve and lots of lessons identified, some of which the government has acknowledged.
Because of the extraordinary generosity of hosts and supporters, most guests have settled and some are employed, with their children attending local schools.
The government has just issued fresh guidance for the scheme, suggesting a range of future options for both guests and hosts, such as:
- to make available more support for hosts, beyond the six months, for which the scheme was designed;
- to help those wishing to relocate to a different host;
- to assist the move of guests to private rented accommodation. This is problematic because of the stringent checks required by landlords on prospective tenants. Opora, a network assisting Ukrainians in the UK, has said that it is already being contacted by some families who were being frozen out of the private rental market after failing referencing checks.
Enabling these choices is particularly difficult because many of the guests have had traumatic experiences and faced all sorts of risks. Some guests are undecided about their immediate futures. To help maintain security and stability will be important.
A Review
At around the four month point since the start, last Saturday, we offered a meeting to bring together hosts in Rye and district to discuss what so far has gone well; what not so well and how the scheme might develop in the future.
The Rye Baptist Church provided the venue, courtesy of Reverend Fiona Gill, who has been a valued supporter of the scheme. The mayor and mayoress of Rye, councillors Andy Rivett and Rebekah Gilbert also attended to pledge continued support.
There was much to discuss. In the main, our guests are young women and children, as menfolk remain to support the Ukrainian state. Some guests are naturally homesick and keen at some stage to return. We want to resolve issues as they occur and to avoid any sort of "cliff edge" at the six month point, as some central charities have speculated.
Although access to support such as medical, education, employment and English language training has been provided, NHS dental treatment is particularly difficult, mostly because of the national dental crisis, currently in the news. The cost of private treatment can be beyond the resources of a refugee from Eastern Europe. With the authorities, we are looking at ways to help.
The meeting generated a catalogue of detailed issues, some good, some not so good, but above all, some to be considered in the coming months, as there appears to be little prospect of an early end to the war.
As August 24 will be Ukrainian independence day, one of our host couples, Niki and Andy Stuart, is planning the next social event to bring together hosts, guests and supporters. Details of this will be publicised separately.
