We are delighted with the speed at which residents have responded so positively to help house people arriving in the county from Ukraine.
In a matter of days, over 1,100 people have expressed an interest in helping people from the war-torn country. This figure includes 94 ‘sponsors’ - residents who have agreed to open their doors to provide a home for Ukrainian guests. So far, 25 guests have arrived in Herefordshire and a further 248 have registered their interest in moving to the county.
We are now in the process of ensuring the accommodation on offer meets criteria set by central government for housing the new arrivals.
We are also working with a number of local support services and community groups who will help make the transition to life in the UK as easy as it can be in such challenging circumstances. We're helping promote events including ‘Big Eat Ukraine’, which takes place at the Kindle Centre in Hereford 10-2pm, Saturday 7 May. We've updated our Talk Community webpages to provide detailed information on services and support in different areas of the county. We've also prepared a staff training guide to help people better understand the needs of the new arrivals.
In addition, we have created new webpages to guide and support guests as well as the sponsors interested in hosting them. We hope more will come forward and register their interest in providing a new home for Ukrainian guests.
Paul Smith, Herefordshire Council’s acting director of community and wellbeing, says:
“Having fled from unimaginable circumstances, Ukrainian arrivals need to be welcomed and supported. Thankfully, that’s exactly what many residents – as well as businesses and local community groups – have done. The response so far has been fantastic. We are asking for more people to come forward to offer accommodation.
“We also urge local businesses to think about offering employment opportunities to people from Ukraine. It’s worth remembering some of the arrivals have lost almost everything they had or cared for. They are arriving here with next to nothing. Regular work will not only help them financially, it will also provide them with a new structure as they learn to adapt to their new lives. Our new webpages also provide contact details for those who wish to volunteer to help, including information for interpreters. Thank you for the kindness you’ve shown so far. Please continue to stand with Herefordshire Council and support the people of Ukraine.”
Councillor David Hitchiner, leader of Herefordshire Council, says:
“The response from the whole Herefordshire community to help people arriving from Ukraine is astounding. I am very proud of the amount of support being offered to make a difference to people arriving here in such desperate circumstances. There is so much great work going on in the background to help Ukrainian guests settle in. I am very grateful to everyone involved.”