Almost 500 Ukrainian refugees to be housed in Staffordshire
Almost 500 Ukrainian refugees will be housed in Staffordshire, council bosses have revealed.
Latest figures show around 183 sponsors across the county have been matched with an estimated 478 refugees under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Council leaders have said they are working hard to ensure everything is in place for their arrival, ensuring proper checks are in place to make people safe.
They are working with schools to prepare them for children arriving alongside GPs, so that the refugees can register and access services and support.
Councillor Victoria Wilson, cabinet member for communities at Staffordshire County Council, said: "Once again, Staffordshire people have stepped up to help those in need, generously offering their homes to people in Ukraine fleeing war, and I want to thank every sponsor for generously offering to share their home with people in need. We are now doing everything we can to ensure evacuees from Ukraine receive a warm welcome in our county.
"Many people coming to our county will be traumatised by the events in Ukraine, so it is really important to have the right support in place to help them.
"This really has been a partnership effort – our district and borough councils are also playing a huge part in this, and we are working with them and health partners to ensure everything is in place. It’s our job to keep everyone involved in this scheme as safe as possible, so it’s important we put all of the essential checks in place and ensure everything is set up for when they arrive."
Councils involved include the county council, Cannock Chase District Council, East Staffordshire Borough Council. Lichfield District Council, Newcastle Borough Council, South Staffordshire Council, Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Tamworth Borough Council.
