Incredible response to appeal for Ukraine support

The Ukraine appeal has had a lot of support from Northamptonshire residents.

An incredible £23,000 has already been donated to an appeal just launched to help people fleeing war-torn Ukraine start building a new life in Northamptonshire.

The appeal, co-ordinated by the Northamptonshire Community Foundation (NCF), which was set up to support disadvantaged people and communities, was launched just this week.

And there are many other ways people can help with the resettlement process, by offering support through the form launched by West Northamptonshire Council yesterday (31 March).

“We welcome the care, concern and generosity of local people and donors at this time.

“These funds are so urgently and desperately needed to support the resettlement response on the ground and enable charities to provide a safety net in resettlement.

 ‘We have been working with community foundation colleagues across Europe including the Ukraine.

“We have seen the response on the ground by community foundations in the Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania and how they have mobilised volunteers and collected funds to provide immediate relief and to aid refugees.

“Community Foundations in the UK are also playing their part in that emergency response and that is why we are launching our Welcome Fund appeal to ensure community groups and charities preparing to welcome Ukrainian refugees have access to funds and resources to ensure families and individuals fleeing the conflict and violence are made to feel welcome, safe and well.”NCF Deputy CEO, Rachel McGrath, who is co-ordinating the newly launched appeal

“The response so far to this appeal demonstrates the amazing heart and community spirit we have in this county.

“At a time when people are already struggling with the increasing cost of living, for them to open their homes and their hearts to people even worse off than them is awe-inspiring.

“We’re working closely with our partners, drawing on the invaluable experience we gained during the Afghan resettlement programme, to ensure we meet the needs of these arrivals.

“We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the necessary services are in place for families as they begin to settle in with their hosts.”Cllr David Smith, Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services

Local authorities have been tasked with co-ordinating the Government’s activity, particularly around the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Council staff in west Northamptonshire are in the process of contacting sponsors, who will be hosting Ukrainian visitors, about necessary property and security checks.

The council is currently:

• Training staff to carry out initial property checks
• Seeking to recruit resettlement support workers to help Ukrainians and their households access services and navigate systems
• Setting up a dedicated Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) process to carry out the necessary security checks

If anyone would like further information about how to sign up for the Homes for Ukraine scheme, we would currently direct them to the Government’s website in the first instance.