SOUTH Gloucestershire Council is renewing its call for residents to offer accommodation to Ukrainians seeking shelter from the ongoing war.
Support for hosting is provided by Government funding, with the role of the council being to identify and prepare hosts and connect guests with the support they will need to adapt to life in the UK.
Hosts receive a comprehensive package of support, including £500 a month financial assistance as well as practical and emotional support.
Hosts and their guest receive wrap-around support for six months from our dedicated support providers. This includes access to drop-in sessions, activities and events available through our community hub network. Hosts are also connected, if they wish to be, with other hosts, so they can support each other and share helpful, experience-based advice to each other. The council also runs regular events for hosts and guests to get together as a community.
Holistic, wrap-around support is offered to all Ukrainian guests, which includes advice covering access to medical services, benefits, language lessons, employment, and re-housing.
Cabinet Cllr Alison Evans, said: “So many people in South Gloucestershire have already done so much to support those in fear and in danger in Ukraine. We are so grateful to them, as of course are those Ukrainians who have found shelter and a new home here.
“We are asking now, if there are others who can step forward to offer their help, as the war is still raging, the need for places to live is still just as important.
“If perhaps you have thought about it before, or your situation has changed so you might be able to help now, please get in touch to discuss it. You certainly haven’t missed the chance to help change someone’s life forever.”
Sue Lyndon, a host from Emersons Green, said: “I would encourage anyone who has considered having a Ukrainian guest live with them not just shelve it but keep thinking about it. To really think about the way, you live your life and what would fit in with your life. To think, actually we could do this, but what would work for our family and what would work for our guest?”
If you have a spare room, a liveable annex or a whole house that would be a comfortable space for a single person, a mum and child, or a larger family, then you could be a host. Your guest or guests can share communal space like a kitchen or bathroom with you, or have a separate space.
For more information, residents are encouraged to visit the dedicated pages of the council website about Ukraine crisis help and support, plus information for sponsors and local information for guests as part of our Homes for Ukraine scheme: www.southglos.gov.uk/ukraine. Residents who feel they may be able to help are asked to email: homesforukraine@southglos.gov.uk.