Homes after Hosts – Будинки після господарів
Salisbury Community Hub for Ukraine
The Salisbury Hub was set up to provide a support network for Ukrainian refugees and their hosts. We have done this under the auspices of the Salisbury Methodist Church which has generously provided space and additional support.
We are here for people of any faith (or none), and for anyone from the city or surrounding areas who wishes to network with other families who are hosting, seeks assistance around the process of hosting a Ukrainian family and their Ukrainian guests, or who has their own offer of help, advice or skills.
We can offer:
- A meeting place – where hosts and their Ukrainian guests network with others at our weekly coffee morning, held on Fridays at the Methodist church, 10.00 – 12noon (not Friday 3rd June);
- Information and advice – through the coffee morning, or in our office. Open Monday to Thursday, 10.30am – 12.30am, you can book an appointment if appropriate
email: admin@salisburyukrainehub.org.uk
tel: 07341 141632, (there is an ansaphone at other times)
- A hints and tips document is available from the office to support hosts through from being matched to their guests to the first few weeks after their arrival. It draws on the experiences of local people, advice from refugee agencies and government websites;
- A listening ear for anyone suffering from anxiety or stress, from The Listening Service, an opportunity to talk privately, available every Friday morning, or at other times by appointment. Tel: 01722 325294
And coming shortly:
- Language classes – in English and perhaps conversational Ukrainian!
- a matching facility, so that those who want to host can be matched with people desperately needing homes who are currently in Poland or Moldova.
- a session on cultural sensitivities (which of course works both ways!)
Our range of activities is broadening with each week that passes!
We are partnering with
- Salisbury City Council
- Wiltshire County Council
- Wiltshire for Ukraine
- Wessex Community Action
- The Listening Place
- The Pantry Partnership
- Silver Salisbury
- The NHS Trust
And numerous local organisations who are keen to help
If you have already signed up as a host, please consider emailing us to join our mailing list to extend the network as widely as possible.
To join our mailing list or volunteer, please email us on admin@salisburyukrainehub.org.uk, stating whether you are a host or a Ukrainian guest, or complete and return the registration forms as appropriate, below:
As individuals
Please register your interest in the Salisbury Hub here
You may well have heard about the Government’s “Homes for Ukraine” sponsorship scheme, which allows individuals to sponsor a person seeking sanctuary to enable them to live in the UK. To apply to be a host for the scheme, individuals must be able to offer a room in their home or to provide self–contained accommodation. So if you have a large property with a spare room, a home with an annexe or if you own a rental property, please, please consider helping in this vital way. If you wish to do so, please sign up at https://www.gov.uk/register–interest–homes–ukraine.
In order to become a host, you must be able to identify a Ukrainian national to sponsor and support their Visa application form. So the obvious problem is that most of us don’t know any Ukrainian nationals by name, but the good news is that this does not need to stand in our way! AS WELL AS signing up on the government website, sign up at Reset UK, who will match refugees seeking to come to the UK with hosts. Reset will provide training and support for hosts and refugees as they are matched. https://www.homesforukraine.org.uk/
If you are not able to offer accommodation, there are still ways you can help. You may be able to help find accommodation locally where refugee families can live. But there will also be a great need for befriending refugees and helping them to integrate by offering your time and care. If you could do this, please pledge your support at https://www.sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk/
In order to provide local support networks both for hosts and for refugees, please could you let us know if you sign up as a host at: leadershipteam@salisburymethodist.org.uk
Of course, financial donations are desperately needed, and I know many of you are giving through the DEC appeal, the Methodist All We Can appeal and through other charities.
If you represent an organisation
Please register your organisation with the Salisbury Hub here
In the next few days (hopefully) the government will also be announcing details of a community sponsorship scheme, which will allow groups from churches to sponsor Ukrainian families. It’s likely that this will work in a similar way to the existing Community Sponsorship scheme run by the Reset UK charity (mentioned above):
“The group supports the family through their first year in the UK to live independent lives, learn English, and access schools, benefits, healthcare and employment and participate fully in the community. These groups receive training and support from Reset through every stage of their journey and are also supported by their Lead Sponsor, who takes legal responsibility for the project.”
Donations
To make a donation, please make a bank transfer to Account 65592317 in the name of Salisbury Methodist Church, sort code 08-92-99. Please include the reference UKRAINE to ensure donations to the Hub are kept in a separate account. We would welcome the chance to say thank you: please drop a brief email to the office to confirm that you have done so.
We regret we cannot accept donations of clothes, toys or other items.
Please continue to pray for the situation in Ukraine
Valerie Liversidge is the main SMc point of contact, as she is the Church Council rep on the management group, so do get in touch with her if you would like to help, or use the contact details above to get in touch with Jane or Jill.