People and communities across East Sussex have responded with alacrity to the government’s Homes for Ukraine (“HfU”) scheme, opening their homes and localities to those fleeing war-torn Ukraine.
More than 900 Ukrainian guests have arrived in the county out of a total of up to 1,500 currently expected; more than 280 children have been allocated places in our local schools.
The government is providing councils with:
- funding at a rate of £10,500 per refugee to enable them to provide support to families to rebuild their lives and to fully integrate into communities
- a £200 welcome payment provided to each refugee who arrives in East Sussex
- optional ‘thank you’ payments at the rate of £350 per sponsoring household per month
- additional separate funding to provide education services for children from families arriving from Ukraine
In addition government funding will be used to:
- offer free bus passes for the two major bus companies
- gift a laptop with data to each family
Based on current figures of anticipated arrivals, the expected funding from government is approximately £18.4m. This figure includes funding allocated per refugee, host payments for 12 months and education funding.
We have created two information ‘packs’, one for sponsors and one for refugees (available in English, Ukrainian and Russian). These will supplement the Government introduction pack for refugees which can be found here:
Welcome! A guide for Ukrainians arriving in the UK (publishing.service.gov.uk)
We have set up a direct line of communication with our guests and have developed a welcome video in conjunction with a Ukrainian national who has settled in the U.K. This can be found here:
A welcome in Ukrainian (and English) - Homes for Ukraine in East Sussex (govdelivery.com)
Action by East Sussex…
- We have been working with the existing Ukrainian community to help design our support offer
- A partnership group consisting of ESCC, all District and Borough Councils, the VCSE, Police, Fire & Rescue and health organisations meets weekly
- A Ukrainian national who resides in the UK has been co-opted onto our partnership group
- We are developing a support system across arriving families so they can connect with and support each other
- We email all HfU sponsors at the end of every week to update them on any issues and support that is available and to publicise local events and activities.
- A dedicated helpline for sponsors of Ukrainian refugees has also been commissioned
- We have a payments system in place to pay guests their £200 welcome payment
- Additional staff have been recruited to undertake the necessary household DBS checking process for HfU sponsor’s details
- We have commissioned East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service to undertake accommodation checks
- We have set up a welcome point for any refugees arriving at Newhaven Port
- We are working with Sussex Community Development Association to provide support to this facility
- The Lead Member for Adult Social Care has agreed a grant payment of £490k to be distributed across 3 Voluntary Action Groups to plan and implement essential refugee support functions for a period of 12-months.
- We have allocated places to over 280 Ukrainian children in East Sussex schools.
Winter 2022 update
EAST SUSSEX residents who are hosting Ukrainian guests through the Homes for Ukraine scheme are set to receive winter top up payments from the council.
East Sussex County Council has taken the decision to increase the monthly payments payable to hosts to thank them for their continued kindness and generosity and to reflect the increased costs people are facing during the current economic crisis.
The monthly payments for all hosts will increase by £150 per host per month, for six months from October 2022 to March 2023. The increase will apply county wide and be payable to both existing and new hosts.
For hosts with fewer than five guests, the thank you payment will rise from £350 to £500 per month between October and March.
Hosts accommodating families of five or more currently receive £500 per month to acknowledge the significant additional costs of hosting larger families. The monthly payments received by those hosts will increase to £650 per month from October to March.
It is also hoped that the enhanced payments over the winter will encourage hosts to continue their hosting relationship for as long as possible and enable them to host beyond the initial six-month period.
In addition to the winter top up payments, the council has also agreed to a one-off incentive payment of £1000 for hosts who host for 12 consecutive months and who are willing to extend their placements beyond the 12-month period.
Further developments…
We continue to work with partners to develop support for our guests across East Sussex. This work includes:
- The expansion of the existing refugee buddy project to support guests in learning English and to settle into the community
- Providing support to further education such as English as a second language, support with work applications and access to services and benefits
- Providing trauma after care and health and well-being support
- Developing a sustainment service to prevent a breakdown in host/guest relationships.
