Hundreds of Ukrainians making county home
More than 300 Ukrainians have made Staffordshire their home as part of a government scheme to help people from the war-torn country.
The Homes for Ukraine scheme has seen more than 2,500 Staffordshire residents express an initial interest in sponsoring a refugee, with nearly 400 matching themselves with Ukrainians in need of accommodation.
Staffordshire County Council has been working alongside all eight district and borough councils to ensure all the proper checks are in place as refugees arrive.
These include home and welfare checks, as well as helping sponsors through the Disclosure, Vetting and Barring (DBS) process.
Since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, millions of refugees have fled the country to seek safety, with 21,600 arriving in the UK.
Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council cabinet member for Communities said: “I’m so proud that so many Ukrainians are able to call Staffordshire home during this tumultuous time, and have received a warm welcome from the people of our county.
“We’ve worked hard with our district and borough councils over the past few weeks and months to put everything in place to ensure our Ukrainian guests are in appropriate accommodation, that the proper checks have been done, and that they have access to services and support such as schools, GPs, dentists, and language learning.
“Added to this, we’re seeing many local communities setting up their own groups to welcome refugees, which is a wonderful testament to the generosity and welcoming nature of the people in our county.”
For more information on the scheme, go to staffordshire.gov.uk/ukraine.
