Around 1,500 Wiltshire households applied to Homes for Ukraine scheme
Plans are in place to welcome families
Wiltshire Council say they are aware that around 1,500 households in the county have applied for the Homes for Ukraine scheme to help house refugees.
Meanwhile, there have been 136 that are offering homes through sponsorship.
The local authority say they are ready and has plans in place as Ukrainian families are starting to be matched with people.
The system to settle in the UK involves a series of steps, including government checks on those arriving from the country before they can travel to their accommodation.
The council is putting in place caseworkers and working on payment mechanisms for sponsors and emergency support for new arrivals.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, said:
“We know people throughout Wiltshire are ready to provide a helping hand to Ukrainian refugees – that could be by providing a place for a family to stay or donating to a good cause. I want to thank communities across the county also for joining together and being ready to provide support when it is needed.
“Along with our partners we have put plans in place to support people who are choosing to come to Wiltshire. Wiltshire Council staff are working hard behind the scenes and a number of accommodation checks have already taken place in preparation for families arriving. The system is complex and there is still more information and guidance needed from government, but we are doing everything we can to be ready so once families arrive they will settle well and will soon feel at home.”
Meanwhile, Wiltshire Youth Council has written to all schools in the county asking them to take part in a non-uniform day on 1st April and encourage pupils to wear blue and yellow for a minimum donation of £1 to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Appeal.
People who are still interested can record their interest at www.gov.uk/homes-for-Ukraine.
Sponsors can be of any nationality, with any immigration status, provided they have at least six months’ leave to remain within the UK.
In the first phase of the scheme sponsors will need to have a named person whom they wish to sponsor, this could be a friend, someone they are already connected with or it could be someone they have been linked with.
They need to provide accommodation for a minimum of six months.
The government will provide an optional payment of £350 per month for up to 12 months for those offering help.