A CHARITY is urgently calling for more people in Winchester to host refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Reset Communities, an organisation which has been leading the community welcome of refugees across the UK, has issued the appeal amid a continued surge of families looking to escape the conflict.

Six months on from the launch of the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, more than 300 Ukrainian refugees are continuing to sign up with Reset’s matching service every week.

But, while more than 200,000 people registered their interest in hosting Ukrainian refugees on the government’s website in the early weeks, the number of hosts available to match with refugees has fallen.

With the war continuing, thousands of Ukrainian refugees, including women, children and men exempt from military service, are currently seeking safe homes in the UK this winter.

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Kate Brown, chief executive of Reset, said: “Homes for Ukraine has been an opportunity for individuals and households to welcome people seeking safety on a massive scale. Hosting someone in your home for six months is a huge commitment with plenty of challenges, so it’s not to be undertaken lightly.

"We’ve heard of the life-changing benefits both hosts and refugees experience in living together and learning about one another.

"But we urgently need more hosts. The war is showing no sign of ending and thousands of Ukrainians are living in precarious conditions, seeking sponsors to host them in the UK."

As of August 15, 252 hosts in Winchester district had completed the process of matching with Ukrainian families, welcoming 536 individuals.

As per a recent Finance and Performance report, the city council has supported three rematches. Some 71 Ukrainians have been provided with housing advice, 12 have approached the council because they believed to be threatened with homelessness and 23 have been supported to apply onto Hampshire Home Choice.

A total of 948 potential hosts who initially expressed an interest were contacted by the council and 37 responded to say that would still be interested in being a host. 

Ms Brown added: "We are especially keen for people to sponsor who have room to host larger family units and men as well as women and children. Contrary to popular belief, not all Ukrainian men need to stay and fight, as some are exempt from military service and equally in need of safety.

"We know people in the UK have many concerns of their own, not least the cost-of-living crisis. But there is lots of support and advice available from Reset, other organisations and existing sponsors. And the government is continuing to provide ‘thank you’ payments to help with the cost.”

Dmytro, who was matched with a host via Reset, said: “Offering to host is so important because there are many other people from Ukraine who still need to come to the UK. I wish very much that other people will look into hosting as it can make such a difference.”

Once they have registered and completed their profile, sponsors receive training from Reset, which advises them on the type of commitment they are taking on in hosting someone in their homes for at least 6 months, before they can be matched.

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Reset has so far trained more than 3,500 sponsors, with its Homes for Ukraine sponsor toolkit accessed more than 120,000 times.

Reset is working with the government, devolved governments, local authorities and other partners to understand the process when hosting arrangements come to an end after six months.

This includes what role organisations will play in rematching people already in the UK whose sponsorship has ended.

Winchester City Councillor, John Tippett Cooper, said: “Reset’s call is a reflection of the ongoing and very serious refugee crisis caused by the Ukraine war. There’s also a real need for new hosts to come forward to help with rematching - supporting Ukrainian families that have been in the community for some time but whose current hosting arrangement is coming to an end.

"If people thinking about hosting have any questions, then they should email ukraine@winchester.gov.uk and can record their interest at: gov.uk/register-interest-homes-ukraine."

People who might be willing to sponsor are encouraged to find out more about what it involves and register their interest with Reset at homesforukraine.org.uk.