A guest message from the Homes for Ukraine team
In March 2022, Barnet Council alongside all local authorities began collaborating with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with the launch of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The scheme enables individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to sponsor Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK, allowing them to stay in their home or a separate property.
To date, we have seen 1,442 Ukrainians arriving in the borough of Barnet under the Homes for Ukraine scheme where initial needs were supporting our Ukrainian guest with settling and adapting with their new lives in Barnet, over time we have seen a drastic change of needs to support our Ukrainian guest with transitioning into their own private rented accommodation.
Our aim is to support all Ukrainians with integrating into the borough of Barnet through community events, supporting with early help to ensure children are receiving the right support as they enter educational services as we register children with local schools in Barnet, providing access to public services helping them contact and register with a local GP and NHS dentist, classes for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), providing funding for volunteering sector through Barnet inclusion, advising on how to access local Jobcentre Plus services and explaining what their role is and using Barnet boost as a point of contact for employability and private rented housing support.
Barnet Council has commissioned Beam with an 80-household pilot. Beam partners with local authorities to provide long term, sustained support by removing the financial barriers that prevent its service-users from accessing the Private Rented Sector
Commissioning New Citizen Gateway, as the council focuses on re-housing our Ukrainian guests, we have ensured we do not neglect the mental well-being of our Ukrainian guests by commissioning NCG to ensure we provide mental health support for all guests.
Contact details
- Employability – olesya.shumilova@barnethomes.org, oksana.sokol@barnethomes.org
- Welfare support officers –anastasiia.trubkina@barnet.gov.uk, alina.lagoda@barnethomes.org
- Mental health support – Ellie@NCGateway.org.uk
- Volunteering sector support – Patrick@inclusionbarnet.org.uk
More information is available on the Barnet Council website: Homes for Ukraine | Barnet Council