Make a difference in Ukraine

More than 14 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine following the Russian invasion. The Diocese of Oxford is working with Citizens UK to resettle Ukrainian refugees in our diocese through the UK government's Homes for Ukraine scheme.

It's now a busy time of matching hosts and guests and supporting them through visa applications. As of the start of July, we've made 82 matches - which equates to 150 Ukrainian adults and 59 Ukrainian children.

Below are some ways you can help. If you have any questions, get in touch.

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Training opportunities | Information for guests | Information for hosts | Information for supporters | Resources

Information for guests

Ми сподіваємося, що ви добре влаштувалися у своїх спонсорів і відчули теплий прийом від ваших нових сусідів в Оксфордській єпархії.
 
Ми хотіли б запросити вас підписатися на електронні листи від нашої Координаційної групи з питань біженців з України. Ми надсилатимемо вам інформацію про майбутні події та ресурси, які можуть допомогти вам під час вашого перебування тут, і триматимемо вас в курсі того, як просувається програма з пошуку житла від Оксфордської єпархії.
 
Якщо ви хочете отримувати ці листи, перейдіть за посиланням нижче та введіть свою адресу електронної пошти, своє ім’я та поштовий індекс спонсора. Потім виберіть варіант 3 і натисніть жовту кнопку «Зареєструватися».

Зареєструватися

Ви можете будь-коли передумати отримувати ці повідомлення та відмовитися від розсилки, натиснувши «Скасувати підписку» внизу будь-якого електронного листа.
 
Ви також можете зв’язатися безпосередньо з нами, коли вам потрібно, надіславши листа на електронну пошту ukraine@oxford.anglican.org, і Таня, наш працівник з питань підтримки українців за програмою «Житло для України», зв’яжеться з вами.

Ви можете ближче познайомитися з Танею та радником із питань соціальної справедливості від Єпархії Ханною Лінг у цьому відеоінтерв’ю.

From hospitality to solidarity

The matching and hosting process has brought to light problems with wider systems – claiming benefits, registering with GPs and dentists, getting visas in the first place, and longer term settlement plans. We want to work with our partners in this process, Citizens UK, to work with you to find ways forward.

To that end, Citizens UK and the Diocese of Oxford are offering a series of sessions, which will include training, to hear you and support you locally. This training will introduce tools of Community Organising and give you an opportunity to meet and work with other people in the Diocese of Oxford to see God’s Kingdom come through even the challenging times we face today.

We would like to invite you to five evening sessions to help move the issues around Ukrainians and refugees forward through excellent training and community engagement. We recommend attending all five sessions, though the form gives you space to say which ones you are available for. The classes are online and start at 7pm. They take place on 5 October, 9 November, 23 November, 30 November and 11 January. We hope to see you there.

Please register your free place

Information for hosts

The government's initial Homes for Ukraine hosting period covered six months, but it is now clear that many Ukrainians will need to stay in the UK beyond that as the war continues. This means our support needs to continue too - here are a few ways you can help...

Information for supporters

There are loads of other ways you can help - whether it's picking up a family from the airport, helping with paperwork for the GP or local schools, or being a friendly face they can talk to in a difficult time.

We are co-ordinating the support across the diocese with the help of deanery leads - the go-to person for hosts and helpers in each deanery. Most deaneries now have a lead person, and all hosts who have already received guests have been linked with their deanery lead where possible. We are in the process of connecting deanery leads with people who have offered support, and they will be in touch. 

There is some exciting training on the horizon for hosts and supporters that will be offered in the autumn and delivered by Citizens UK. The aim of this training is for us to learn how to harness the knowledge we have gained through supporting Ukrainians and begin to address the problems we have encountered to ensure that all newly arrived people get the best welcome possible.
 
Please watch out for more information about this and book a place – it will be delivered online.

If you'd like to help in any way, we would love to hear from you! We can connect you with a local group who are hosting a family so you can give support where it's most needed. Let us know you're interested. If you speak Russian and/or Ukrainian, we'd love you to join our growing team of volunteer translators and interpreters - let us know you're interested.

Resources

CUF Small Grants Programme for Refugee Support

Church Urban Fund has launched a Refugee Support Small Grants Programme to support Christian projects helping refugees arriving in England from Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Registered Christian charities and members of Churches Together in England are all welcome to apply for small grants of between £500 and £5,000. More information is available on CUF’s website.

Helping Hand in Buckingham

The Helping Hand team in Bucks are available to help individuals or families in need, those on low incomes and those who are experiencing a financial emergency or crisis. 

There has been an increase in Ukrainian families visiting food banks to receive food support. Families can contact Helping Hand, who will evaluate the resident’s situation and see what food support routes are best.

Download a leaflet in Ukrainian | Download a leaflet in English

Lunch & Learn

Every Friday at 1pm, Citizens UK have a different themed Lunch & Learn with guest speakers.

It’s a place for you to meet with others, get advice on the themes below and ask any questions you may have. Some sessions will be repeated, and a recording of each will also be made available.

The link to join is the same for all sessions, and we recommend all hosts join if you can. Sessions last for one hour. Catch up on all previous sessions here.

Sponsor Refugees, a Citizens UK programme, also run Lunch and Learn sessions which cover a number of useful themes for hosts. Register here.

Resources for hosts & guests
 

Resources for supporters

CCOW are compiling a map of support which can be viewed here. You can register your support here to be added to their map.