As many people around the country open their homes to provide shelter for desperate Ukrainian refugees, one member of our clergy shares her 'Homes for Ukraine' experience:
"As a single person living in clergy accommodation, I am blessed with spare bedrooms so when the Homes for Ukraine scheme started I thought if I couldn’t do it, then no one could. So I signed up.
However, I soon realised that simply signing up didn’t get you matched with refugees – so I instead started looking for a family using Facebook.
In July I welcomed a Ukrainian mum and her two children. I have two large dogs and was concerned about how the guests would relate to them, so at every stage I asked, ‘do you like dogs?’ In fact, they had had to leave their Labrador in Ukraine, and he looks identical to mine so it was love at first sight.
The younger child started primary school immediately upon arrival, and the elder child started secondary school the following Monday, with their mother starting work part-time within a couple of weeks.
The mother and the elder child arrived speaking quite good English, we still sometimes resort to using Google translate but communication has never been a big problem. The younger child spoke two English words on arrival, but is now learning quickly and we are having a great time starting to talk to each other.
My guests are brave, cheerful, hardworking and generous. I have eaten much wonderful Ukrainian food (including two birthday cakes worthy of Bake Off and some 'foraged fungi'), met some of their Ukrainian friends, had my dogs looked after, and my washing rescued from the rain!
They feel like family to me. They would like to settle here but finding somewhere they can afford to rent will be hard, even though the mum is now in a permanent job. I won’t be throwing them out ever, but they would like to be independent and hope one-day their dad might be able to join them.
If you’re thinking that you might be able to host a family or an individual, then please seriously consider it. Your home may not be ideal, but it will be leagues better than where they are now. Just communicate clearly about your non-negotiables, especially if you have pets or are vegetarians, because these are the issues that I hear are leading to hosting breakdowns.
There has been a lot of practical stuff my guests have needed help with and that has been time-consuming, but for me it has been a deeply enriching experience. As I watch the horrendous news from Ukraine, I am very grateful indeed that one family, my friends, have found sanctuary here.”
Here is a list of local Ukranian support group:
Dorset - local Facebook group
Dorset News - Ukraine refugees hosts to receive financial boost from Dorset Council
Salisbury - local Facebook group
Sherborne - local Facebook group
Wilts - local Facebook group
Jersey - local Government page
Guernsey - local Government page
If you have stories about your experience providing shelter for refugees, or about any other interesting events in your church community, we’d be delighted to hear from you.
Contact our Communications Team at comms@salisbury.anglican.org