Gloucestershire Homes for Ukraine sponsor guide
Download the Gloucestershire Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Guide or read through the information tabs below.
We have also produced a Welcome to Gloucestershire information pack for Ukrainian guests.
Thank you for offering your home to someone in need. The generosity of people across the county in providing safety and refuge to those fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine reflects the very best of our county.
We are working with the district councils; the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group; Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS) and other partners to support sponsors and guests through the Gloucestershire Housing Partnership.
This guidance is being issued by the Gloucestershire Housing Partnership for those who have registered as sponsors in the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in Gloucestershire.
We are still receiving updates and information from central government regarding the scheme; requirements for sponsors; and how local authorities are expected to help.
As more information becomes available, we will continue to update this guide. It should be read alongside the national guidance for sponsors.
Please read this Advice for Host Families pack produced by Barnardos and their partners. It contains more information about Ukraine culture differences and how to support someone suffering from traumatic experiences.
- I have registered as a sponsor but do not know any Ukrainian applicants
- Can I sponsor a young person or child from the Ukraine to live with me?
- I am a sponsor and have a match. What happens next?
- Should I tell the local council my guest is on their way/has arrived?
- I have a match and have put it on the system, but no one has contacted me
- What standards will my property be checked against?
- How will I know the person undertaking a Property Check is from the council?
- What happens if problems are found?
- Providing privacy and security to your guest
- When will I receive my £350 “Thank You” payment?
- What will happen during an Initial Welcome Visit?
- Who needs to be present for an Initial Welcome Visit?
- Will the person visiting speak the same language as my guest?
- What financial support is my Guest entitled to?
- How will my guest be helped to settle into life in the UK, and what can I do?
- How can I help my guest find a place in a local school?
- How to access medical care and what to do
- Press, media and social media
- Introducing your guest to your friends and neighbours, including on social media
- Why is the person visiting my home from a charity and not the council?
- What English-language training is available?
- Opening a bank account
- What should I do if I have concerns about a child or adult’s wellbeing?
- Learning a language
- Help with immigration issues, including Biometric Residence Permits
- Newsletters to sponsors
- Housing options
Your guest will receive an initial payment when they arrive in Gloucestershire. The Housing Partnership will be providing these via a pre-payment card that your guest can use like a debit card, via the county council.
If your guest has already arrived and you cannot support them until we can arrange the Welcome Visit, then please discuss this with the Welcome Team when they call as we may be able to arrange alternative ways of making a payment, or you can email hfuteam@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Your guest is also be able to register for benefits, a National Insurance number, and to access support in finding employment. You can help them to arrange an appointment at your nearest Job Centre to do this: https://www.gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-plus.
Support and advice is also available through the Citizens Advice Bureau, and through Gloucestershire’s Community Based Support providers.
You can contact the Citizens Advice Bureau on 01452 527202 and through their website https://gloscab.org.uk/.
If you live in Gloucester, Tewkesbury or the Forest of Dean this is through “Caring for Communities and People (CCP)”. You can contact them on 0300 365 2002 or online through https://glos.p3charity.org/ including to find out about their next drop-in sessions in your area.
If you live in Cheltenham, Stroud District or Cotswolds this is provided by P3 Gloucestershire who you can contact through their website (http://www.p3charity.org/glosCBS) or by calling their closest centre, who will be able to provide information about drop-in sessions:
- Stroud (01453 750480)
- Cheltenham (01242 514417)
- Moreton-in-Marsh (01608 653377)
Help with energy costs
In response to feedback from sponsors about the impact the increased cost-of-living is having on their ability to sponsor Ukrainian guests, the council will be offering all sponsors £375 per household (split into three payments of £125, per month, for the months of November and December 2022 and January 2023) to help towards their energy costs. This will be paid to every sponsor in the county, regardless of how long they have been hosting their guests. Any guest who has moved out into the private rented sector will also be eligible to receive this payment (conditions apply).