Stephanie Jankovic, Cutteslowe Community Association Manager, writes:
I am working with local churches and organisations to create a shared response and support on behalf of North Oxford for host households who have put themselves forward under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and the Ukrainian Migrants who will be homed with them.
I am hoping that between all of the organisations based in North Oxford and interested individuals, we will be able to put together a working group/number of working groups to help welcome those settling in North Oxford. This will also hopefully minimise duplication of effort and as a whole create a more holistic and joined up response reducing competing information and hopefully stop it from becoming too burdensome for any individual organisation, as we are all working with stretched time and resource.
If you have offered your house or know someone who has offered their house under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and is based in North Oxford, please contact help.northoxford@gmail.com so that we can support you through the process. Also, anyone willing to volunteer their time or provide a service (administration, management of response, production of information, organisation of donated items etc) or are involved in existing groups / planning to deliver a new group that would be appropriate for Ukrainians who will be arriving in the area, please also get in touch.
I am then hoping that we can put together a database of hosts within North Oxford that will be updated when people let us know if and when they are due to receive someone (date of arrival, number of people, age, gender etc) and provide them with an information sheet to share with their guests on arrival with information such as (in both Ukrainian and English):
- Local parent and toddler/baby groups
- Local support groups and open times specifically for Ukrainian Refugees and their Hosts (St Michael’s will be opening every Wednesday morning after Easter for Ukrainian Refugees and their hosts and we are planning something similar in the Community Centre here)
- ESOL Classes
- Seniors Groups
- Places of Worship
- Community Larders like the one we have for low cost groceries
- Libraries
- GPs etc
I am hoping that if we are able to put together some working groups to support the initiative we will then be able to look at providing welcome packs for children and their parents/individuals when they arrive in the area and more broadly at collecting donations of things like bicycles/toys/clothes/laptops to make their lives more comfortable longer term. I am also working with HSBC to look at fast tracking bank accounts so that they are able to receive their £200 subsistence payment from the government which they cannot get until they have a UK bank account.
There is a meeting at St. Peter’s Church in Wolvercote on Sunday 3rd April at 3pm for those wanting to get involved in helping.
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