What we're doing to respond to the crisis in Ukraine, funding and what support is available
What we are doing
We support Ukrainians in Bristol who have been forced to leave their homes to find safety. We collaborate with local faith and community groups, Bristolian households, and landlords, to support Ukrainian guests feel safe and welcomed in the city so they can integrate, contribute, and move toward independence, including moving to rented accommodation.
We have also receive funding for accommodation support for Ukrainians fleeing war who have arrived via other visa schemes and have collaborated with housing associations, Stonewater and Ashley Community Housing, to increase the affordable housing in the city and help provide houses to become homes for refugees.
Find more information about our move-on policy and accommodation: Homes for Ukraine scheme.
As of September 2024, 925 people, in 602 households have arrived in Bristol through the Homes for Ukraine programme. There are 658 people in 369 households in Bristol, of which 177 Ukrainian households are in host accommodation, and 174 households are in HfU supported rented accommodation.
Funding
We're funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to manage the Homes for Ukraine programme in Bristol.
The purpose of the Homes for Ukraine funding is for local authorities to provide support to individuals and families to rebuild their lives and integrate into communities.
We are required to plan for and offer support provision around:
- welcoming, Safeguarding and settling in
- integration, education and employment support
- homelessness prevention assistance, and sustainable accommodation
Support
We visit all host accommodation to ensure it's suitable, safe and warm.
We work with Refugee Welcome Homes to provide hosts with support and training to help them with the realities of being a host, including information about cultural difference and trauma
We visit all newly arrived Ukrainian guests to carry out welfare checks, and to give them an interim payment for subsistence costs. Each guest receives £400 for subsistence costs for their initial weeks in the city.
We commission Good Faith Partnership to co-ordinate a network of Welcomes Hubs to provide the much needs safe space, welcoming environment, and areas to use for information, learning and a springboard for integration.
If you have a guest who's arrived, let us know so we can organise a visit by emailing homesforukraine@bristol.gov.uk
If you need help with organising school places, email attendanceandbelongingteam@bristol.gov.uk
Find out how we can support you if you have space in your home, or a property you'd like to make available, on our Homes for Ukraine page.
Aid Box Community are providing a free shop for preloved clothing and toys and they are also co-ordinating donations to Ukrainian refugees for school uniforms and other items.
If you're already a host or guest
If you're already a host or a guest and your existing arrangements need to change, read our:
- pdf move-on guide in English (360 KB)
- pdf move-on guide in Ukranian (473 KB)
- pdf move-on guide in Russian (475 KB)
Useful information for sponsors
Welcoming Ukrainian Refugees: the Bristol Situation & Response
Homes for Ukraine: Guidance for guests - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Homes for Ukraine: sponsor guides - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Homes for Ukraine: council guides - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Useful information for Ukrainian Nationals
You can get free legal advice from Advice Ukraine or by using the Home Office adviser tool (select ‘Not fee charging' for free advice.) Please use caution when seeking and following legal advice.
If you qualify for the family scheme, you can call the 24/7 free government helpline on +44 808 164 8810.
Anyone fleeing Ukraine who is outside of the UK and needs help can call the International Organization for Migration for advice in:
- Ukraine on 527 on mobile phones or 0800 505 501 on landlines
- Poland on +48 22 490 20 44
Ukrainians outside of the UK can access UK visa application centres in Poland (Warsaw, Rzeszow), Moldova (Chisinau), Romania (Bucharest), and Hungary (Budapest).
If you're in the UK and need a translation service, you can call the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain on 020 7229 8392. You may have to pay a fee.