 The community welcome for Ukrainians arriving in East Sussex is wonderful to see.
The warm reception includes efforts of resident Ukrainians like Krysta Rafalska (pictured above) who recorded a welcome video message for us to share with all our arriving guests.
Krysta's welcome in Ukrainian
Krysta's welcome in English
We use this newsletter to keep you updated on Homes for Ukraine in East Sussex. (If you'd rather not receive it you can unsubscribe at any time).
Our latest data shows that almost half the guests so far matched with East Sussex hosts have now arrived in the county.
| |
Guests arrived |
All expected guests |
Active hosts |
| Eastbourne |
70 |
159 |
30 |
| Hastings |
58 |
108 |
27 |
| Lewes |
114 |
241 |
52 |
| Rother |
116 |
246 |
43 |
| Wealden |
238 |
566 |
95 |
| Total |
596 |
1320 |
247 |
Most (more than 350) of our guests who have arrived in East Sussex have now received the £200 welcome payment for each person on the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
If not, they can request the payment by cash, cheque or transfer to a UK bank account. Please note, their hosts must complete our household form before their guests can receive payment.
To request the payment in cash, contact the local voluntary association:
-
In Eastbourne, Lewes or Wealden - phone 01323 639373
-
In Hastings - phone 01424 444010
-
In Rother - phone 01424 217259 or 07871 603235
To request payment by bank transfer (or cheque), email ukraine@eastsussex.gov.uk
Cheques will be sent by post in 5-7 working days and can be cashed at any branch of NatWest bank.
We know that hosting may present challenges hosts did not expect. Wherever we can, we will try to help and direct them to information and support to ensure the sponsorship match is successful. If there are issues that can’t be resolved, we need to ensure re-matching is an option and the right outcome for them and their guests, and that any new arrangements are eligible for support.
Hosts can let us know about any concerns by emailing: ukraine@eastsussex.gov.uk
 Support groups for hosts and guests have sprung up across East Sussex and doing are great work to connect and help each other.
You probably already know many local community groups, but we've listed some of them below:
The East Sussex branch of the Association of Ukraine in Great Britain:
Association of Ukrainians in Britain East Sussex Branch (being formed) | Facebook
East Sussex High Weald Ukraine support network https://www.facebook.com/groups/837766874286129
East Sussex for Ukraine
https://www.facebook.com/groups/379536473702993
Sussex Ukrainian support
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3051844915064989
Lewes helps Ukraine
https://www.facebook.com/groups/665576388025778
Hastings supports refugees
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1653085608261243
The Refugee Buddy Project
https://twitter.com/TheRefugeeBuddy
Hastings Community of Sanctuary
https://twitter.com/HastSanctuary
Apologies to any not on this list, we're sure there are many others...
You can contact us directly if you have more questions by calling our helpline on 01323 724748 (10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday) or by emailing us ukraine@eastsussex.gov.uk
We expect to have updates next week on payments for hosts, on IT support for guests and more. Until then, our thanks to our communities for their patience and all they are doing together.
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