Housing refugees

Bruce Almighty

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Warwickshire
Our 'contact' has now applied for her and her son's visas with us as sponsors. The system seems to be working ok and will of course take time. The local council are getting things moving and sound reasonably organised. In our borough/district there have been 187 applications (½ children) and there are just 21 outstanding to be processed -
The lady coming to us is currently in Latvia in a single room with her 11 yr old son, interestingly though she doesn't want to come to the UK before the end of May. Her son has been fortunate to get schooling at a Russian speaking school that teaches the same syllabus as his school in Kyiv. There term finishes end of May, which is when they want to come to UK

Amazingly, he still doing ½ of his lessons with his school in Kyiv online, his mother said it's just like covid all over again!
Meanwhile ,her husband has been drafted into the army.
I hope it works out well for them. We hear the word "Resilience" mentioned in today's farming - the Ukrainians take it to a new level.
 

DavidPilling

Member
Trade
I have applied for the homes for Ukraine scheme for my distant family in Ukraine. I completed all the paperwork and have received the Visas. Pleased to say they arrived safely last week in the UK. The challenges keep coming once you get them here with things like Bank accounts, jobs, Children's Services, getting their £200 gift cards.
If anyone needs help or advice, please let me know.
 
Location
N Yorks
So it's now over 4 weeks since we started this process. The local council have only just managed to complete the property checks and my DBS check. The family had a holdup as their baby daughter (now 3 months old) didnt have a passport so had to do extra paperwork. We are now both just waiting on completion of their visas.

Frustrating for me but must be awful for the family. They left Odessa about 6 weeks ago and have been in a hotel or guest house in Germany since then. Their tower block was bombed 2 days ago so was a good decision to leave when they did
 

DavidPilling

Member
Trade
The family arrived over 3 weeks ago and has settled in well. Regarding the payment of £350, you are supposed to get. I have been told by my county council that Children's services will be administering the payment. The problem is they haven't decided how or when the payments will happen.
If anyone else has had any joy on this front please let me know. My CC is Hampshire.
 

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
The family arrived over 3 weeks ago and has settled in well. Regarding the payment of £350, you are supposed to get. I have been told by my county council that Children's services will be administering the payment. The problem is they haven't decided how or when the payments will happen.
If anyone else has had any joy on this front please let me know. My CC is Hampshire.
Apparently refugees get a £250 voucher each ?
Any news on this?
 

DavidPilling

Member
Trade
Apparently refugees get a £250 voucher each ?
Any news on this?
Yes
They get a prepayment card with £200 each on it. Once children's services have been out to do their house visit and ensure they are actually in the house, they bring the card along with them.
That bit has been relatively straightforward in an otherwise complicated process
 

onesiedale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
Yes
They get a prepayment card with £200 each on it. Once children's services have been out to do their house visit and ensure they are actually in the house, they bring the card along with them.
That bit has been relatively straightforward in an otherwise complicated process
here in Staffordshire they have found the pre-payment card system too complicated and costly to administer.
They just give them an envelope with £200 cash in it 🤣
 

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
here in Staffordshire they have found the pre-payment card system too complicated and costly to administer.
They just give them an envelope with £200 cash in it 🤣
Is it just a "blanket " payment to them as one's heading this direction are retired 80 yr odd pharmacists, Doctor wife and Journalists daughter 60, own car with cat.
Better off than ones putting them up allegedly?
 

onesiedale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
Is it just a "blanket " payment to them as one's heading this direction are retired 80 yr odd pharmacists, Doctor wife and Journalists daughter 60, own car with cat.
Better off than ones putting them up allegedly?
As I understand, it is a one off payment on arrival to help whilst they get started over here.
If you think about it many will have minimal access to money.
The lady and her son due to come here are purely living off what they managed to take as cash whenthey left.
She tells me neither her nor her husband have any form of income now, nor do they have electronic access to online funds. What they had has all gone.
 
Location
East Mids
Although our DBS and home checks not yet completed, have had helpful emails from both the county council and the Community Officer at the borough council and as there are many host families locally, there are some coffee morning 'meet ups' arranged so that our Ukrainian guests know that they are not alone.
 

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
As I understand, it is a one off payment on arrival to help whilst they get started over here.
If you think about it many will have minimal access to money.
The lady and her son due to come here are purely living off what they managed to take as cash whenthey left.
She tells me neither her nor her husband have any form of income now, nor do they have electronic access to online funds. What they had has all gone.
Yes true.
I take it the big banks and assets in Kiyv are still secure and accessible possibly?
The Russians not looted them have they yet?
 
Location
N Yorks
So our original ukrainian family eventually decided to stay in Germany. But kept telling me they were waiting for a visa....

The house was offered again through a local charity. Two families decided it was too rural and the local bus service was not often enough for them.

Family number 4 were set to come but then realised the nearest "professional" gymnastics centre for their daughter was 30 miles away.


I have now withdrawn the offer of the house. Methinks the ones who have actually left Ukraine as a full family unit are wealthy or choosy enough to not need my help.
 

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
So our original ukrainian family eventually decided to stay in Germany. But kept telling me they were waiting for a visa....

The house was offered again through a local charity. Two families decided it was too rural and the local bus service was not often enough for them.

Family number 4 were set to come but then realised the nearest "professional" gymnastics centre for their daughter was 30 miles away.


I have now withdrawn the offer of the house. Methinks the ones who have actually left Ukraine as a full family unit are wealthy or choosy enough to not need my help.
Always said it's the old, infirm, disabled, farmers and other that CAN NOT leave the country need the true help?☹
 

onesiedale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
So our original ukrainian family eventually decided to stay in Germany. But kept telling me they were waiting for a visa....

The house was offered again through a local charity. Two families decided it was too rural and the local bus service was not often enough for them.

Family number 4 were set to come but then realised the nearest "professional" gymnastics centre for their daughter was 30 miles away.


I have now withdrawn the offer of the house. Methinks the ones who have actually left Ukraine as a full family unit are wealthy or choosy enough to not need my help.
That is disappointing to hear. However I can understand your frustration.
The mother and son due to come here made it clear from the outset that they didn't want to come to the UK before July. Initially their request was to come here for just 2 months before returning to Kyiv.
Only now that his school has announced that it will not re-open until September 2023 has she started making plans for a longer stay here.

In the meantime she is currently on holiday! Having met up with a gang of her friends and their children, who have dispersed throughout Poland, Bulgaria and Germany. 🤷
But then why not try and make the most of life at the moment?
One thing is for certain, they didn't plan on having to leave Ukraine . She has her visas sorted, and she knows she has to be here by the end of July.
 

Bootneck

Member
Location
East Sussex
A parent at my kids school has taken in a Ukranian mother and son, she was slightly surprised when they booked a 2 week holiday in Germany this summer, especially as the host could only afford to take her kids camping in the new forest for a week this summer!
 

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
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