Thousands sign up to house Ukrainian refugees in BCP
Only around two dozen have arrived so far though
MORE than 1,400 families in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area have now offered to host families fleeing from the war in Ukraine.
Council portfolio holder Cllr Karen Rampton says that the area has 180 hosts who have been matched with Ukrainian families although the council only knows of 25 which have arrived so far.
She said that for the majority of the 180 most of their homes had been inspected to check they were suitable and the authority was ‘working through’ background checks on the individuals who have offered to host.
“We have been overwhelmed by the support from residents who are willing to open up their homes to guests,” she said.
“Once families have arrived and their immediate needs met we will work to provide wrap around care and support to make sure their longer-term needs are met and they are linked into the services they might need.
“We look forward to more individuals and families arriving in our area in the coming weeks.”
Cllr Rampton told this week’s full council meeting that the Ukraine flag continued to fly at BCP civic offices and the council website had dedicated pages for guests and hosting families which are updated daily, some of the information in a variety of languages.
She said the council was making emergency payments to those who had already arrived and had developed a welcome pack with essential local information.
Work was also underway to ensure children were offered school places and families were signed up with GP and other medical support.