A local group has been formed (based in Ashburton) to coordinate support for those who are hosting Ukrainian refugees in the area and help people to connect with other refugees seeking to come here. This group can be contacted through Facebook: Ashburton Ukrainian Refugee Support Group. If you’re not on FB, they also have a WhatsApp group, but you would need to get someone to make the initial contact through the Facebook group.
19 April 2022 – Update: Teignbridge CVS are working with Teignbridge District Council and Devon County Council (as for other areas across Devon) to ensure that families arriving from Ukraine have access to appropriate support and advice and that Host Families are also able to find their way through the many websites, email links and other information sources that have been published to date. The numbers change weekly and therefore unreliable by the time I email them out (they become out of date almost overnight) and it appears this weekend has seen a rush on visa approvals and more families arrive. The process so far:
- Weekly data lists are provided by central government and then DCC using the LA foundry system
- In the first week , 57 host households in Teignbridge, spread widely across the district
- 3 Refugee families arrived formally in the first week – we know numbers are significantly higher now
- DCC conducting DBS checks
- TDC Private sector Housing conducting accommodation checks
- TDC Team providing payments – £350 per month in arrears to hosts, £200 per Refugee family members on arrival to bridge the gap until benefits claims are processed. The DWP locally have invested more capacity in being able to support claims from Ukrainian families.
At the moment the District Council are working at some speed to provide the home check for all Host Families that registered on the Government Homes for Ukraine website and Devon County are working through DBS checks. After the Council visit details of the single point of contact for families is left to support when Ukrainian families arrive – this is cvsteignbridge@gmail.com
CVS are working with a number of groups to ensure that there are dedicated teams to support key functions including:
- Benefits applications and financial advice
- Housing advice
- Mediation
- Networking and Drop In sessions
- Child, Family and Parent support
- Support for young adults (18 – 24 years) travelling alone
We absolutely do not aim to duplicate the local support groups that have set up but rather to ensure there is enough capacity in the voluntary and community sector network to provide services and advice when they are needed and called for.
Our ask from you if possible
- The CVS is currently looking to source some support into our team to support this work as attached – if you are able to link our recruitment advert to your own site, parish pages or local parish/town Facebook/Spotted/Nextdoor sites we would appreciate this.
- We think we have a picture of a number of local Facebook and face to face support groups across Teignbridge for local hosts, for families arriving from Ukraine and from interested and involved residents but if you are able to share a link to groups in your villages/towns then that would be good; we would like to keep in touch with these groups to be able to share information that may be useful when we have it – to support the offer they have locally.
March 2022 – Devon County Council have a website outlining ways people can help with sponsoring, hosting or helping Ukrainian refugees in Devon.
Many people in town have expressed a desire to do something to help the Ukrainian refugees. All the organisations involved with helping refugees on the border of Ukraine and neighbouring countries have clearly requested that people do not send goods (clothing, camping materials, toiletries etc.). There is already a problem with delivery vans and unused goods clogging up the roads and warehouses. The best thing we can do is send money to those organisations working out there who have decades of experience of dealing with refugee crises. There is also the possibility of offering your own home to accommodate a refugee family. Links to relevant organisations are below.
Homes For Ukraine – Central government site for expression of interest to home Ukrainian evacuees – https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk
Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) charities are in Ukraine and neighbouring countries meeting the needs of all refugees and displaced people: https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal
- £30 could provide essential hygiene supplies for three people for one month
- £50 could provide blankets for four families
- £100 could provide emergency food for two families for one month
Various sources to donate to help pets and animals – https://www.animalscharities.co.uk/ukraine
UNICEF Appeal – https://www.unicef.org/appeals/ukraine
Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund – https://www.sciaf.org.uk/get-involved/appeals/741-ukraine-appeal