Update on Bridgend County Borough Council’s support for the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme and appeal for more hosts

Bridgend County Borough Council is pleased to have already welcomed over 80 individuals from Ukraine to the county borough and many more are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, with over 210 individual visa applications matched to date.

Homes for Ukraine is a scheme to help people from Ukraine who do not have family members in the UK. It allows people to sponsor someone who is fleeing Ukraine to come and live in the UK.

The Council is also supporting the Welsh Government as a ‘super sponsor’ for the scheme and understand that many people in the county borough will want to do all they can to help Ukraine in their hour of need. We would like to appeal for more hosts to come forward to support this worthy cause.

As a thank you for coming forward, hosts receive a payment of £350 per month, whilst an interim payment of £200 per person is made to the Ukrainian individuals.

The local authority also offers wrap around support to the refugees, offering guidance on support around accessing education, health and finances, as well as arranging initial safeguarding checks, including property & DBS checks on hosts and visits to families on arrival.

You can record your interest in offering a home as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme if you:

• can offer accommodation for at least 6 months
• are a British citizen or have the right to remain in the UK for at least 6 months

If you are interested in learning more or/and becoming a sponsor, please email: UkraineResponse@bridgend.gov.uk.

We are very proud to play a part in offering support to Ukraine during this extremely difficult time. It’s pleasing to see that over 80 Ukraine individuals have already been housed in Bridgend County Borough and I would like to encourage other residents to sign up too.

Just as Wales is a place of sanctuary, so too is Bridgend County Borough, and it has been encouraging to see local communities enquiring about how they can offer help and support.

Cllr Rhys Goode, Cabinet Member for Future Generations and Wellbeing