South Yorkshire family: 'Rehousing Ukrainian refugees has changed our lives for the better'
Steve & his wife in Sheffield allowed three Ukrainian refugees to resettle with them earlier this month
A family from South Yorkshire who've recently allowed three Ukrainian refugees to resettle with them insist it's 'transformed' their lives.
Three weeks ago, Steve & his wife rehoused a Ukrainian mother & her two children at their home in Sheffield.
He says it's been a positive experience so far:
"It's different having people live with you and I wouldn't ordinarily invite another family to come and live with me.
"This seemed like a worthwhile thing to do though, and it is really, really enjoyable.
"It's not without it's down sides-you've just got to transform a few habits such as when you're able to watch the TV and what you can watch on it if you've got children living with you.
"We're getting to know each other more and more all the time.
"Now that we live with two young children, we're having to make some adjustments to facilitate their bedtimes and what not, but it's been good up to now."
However, Steve also says the process to bring Ukrainian refugees into the UK is 'overly complex' & 'unrealistic':
"There's a mismatch between what the UK population want to do to help out in this crisis, and what the government is allowing us to do.
"Plenty of people are like us, in the same boat, who want to welcome Ukrainian refugees, but the government system is designed to stop Ukrainian refugees from getting into the UK.
"Sheffield City Council have been great and right on it from the very start, but the same can't be said for the visa application process."
We requested a statement from the Home Office in response and a government spokesperson said:
“In response to Putin’s barbaric invasion we have launched one of the fastest and biggest visa schemes in UK history. In just five weeks, over 56,000 visas have been issued so people can rebuild their lives in the UK through the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine.
“Our Ukraine Schemes have reached a turning point, thanks to the changes we’ve made to the streamline the visa system, including simplifying the forms, and boosting staff. Around 3,500 applications have been processed a day in the last few days, enabling thousands more Ukrainians to come through our uncapped routes.”