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A national one-minute silence takes place at 11am today (Friday).
Please participate in the minute’s silence to pay tribute to the bravery of Ukrainians and all those defending the country, and highlight the UK’s solidarity with the country as they continue their fight.
Locally, we’re increasing the support available for everyone involved in the Homes for Ukraine scheme and calling for extra support as some refugees seek additional independence.
Like all households in North Somerset, families hosting Ukrainian guests are struggling with the cost-of-living pressures brought by rising food and energy costs.
As a result, we’ve decided to increase the monthly payment to hosts from £350 to £550 a month. This will be paid automatically to eligible households, approximately every four weeks.
Weekly drop-in sessions for Ukrainian guests, host families and anyone wanting more information about the scheme now take place at the We Are Super studios in The Sovereign, Weston-super-Mare.
Family support workers are on-hand to help answer questions during these sessions, which run on Wednesdays from 10am to 1pm.
The longer the conflict continues and our Ukrainian guests stay in North Somerset, the more likely they’ll want to live independently, such as moving into rented accommodation.
If you’re a landlord with a property you can rent out in support of the Home for Ukraine scheme, we want to hear from you.
We've developed a support package to help guests transition into new accommodation.
If guests can find their own accommodation in the private rented sector and take up a 12-month tenancy, we can offer a month's rent up-front (up to £1,200) plus an incentive of up to £1,000 for the landlord to make improvements to the accommodation, particularly for home energy.
If you’re a landlord, or anyone looking for more information, email the team on refugeeresettlementteam@n-somerset.gov.uk
More information is also available on our website.