Some are offering bedrooms. Others intend to rent entire houses.
As the government opened a formal sponsorship scheme yesterday, Britons found a variety of ways to offer a haven for Ukrainian refugees.
Groups have sprung up to help connect would-be hosts with those in need of accommodation and sponsors.
More than 35,000 people registered for the government’s scheme on the first evening it opened, while charities have collected thousands of names from individuals, churches, whole neighbourhoods and businesses keen to help.
Williams Jet Tenders
A company working on luxury yachts is planning to rent a home for Ukrainian refugees and offer people work, as thousands of Britons offer to host people in their homes.
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Mathew Hornby and his brother, John, who run Williams Jet Tenders which supplies smaller jets and ribs for yacht owners, said as a business they want to help “in any way possible”.
They signed up through the Sanctuary Foundation, a project by the charity leader Krish Kandiah which has collected more than 17,000 names for potential visa sponsors, supporters and hosts for refugees.
“We realised, like many people, when we saw the distressing TV images of what is happening on our doorstep, that we had to do something,” Hornby said.
The firm and its owners hope to offer both housing and work to Ukrainian refugees, he said, adding they were prepared to give “really anything” to help.
“We are preparing to rent a house as a business, which can then be used for refugees,” he said.
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The Hornbys do not have any named Ukrainian friends so are hoping to be matched with people in need, either privately or via government or charity organisations. The Sanctuary Foundation is seeking to set up a matching programme working with charities across Europe.
After the business made their offer public, a local hospital got in touch and said it had been contacted by medical facilities in Poland which were taking in refugees requiring dialysis and needing help. They are now trying to find out whether they can work with the hospitals to support people in need.
He encouraged other people to sign up as hosts or help in any way they were able to. “I would just say, put yourself and your family in the position of being driven out of your community and your home, and your lives and your country being at direct risk,” he said.
Kerry Corley
Kerry Corley, 28, and her partner Dominic, 30, are offering their spare room in a house they recently bought in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Dominic currently uses the room as a home office so will move downstairs to free it up.
“We feel lucky that we have been able to buy a house and at the moment we have more space than we need so we’re in a position to help,” Kerry said.
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Dominic said: “We’ll find space somewhere else in the house. I’ll work in the shower if I have to.”
However, the couple do not know any Ukrainians. The closest link is a colleague of Kerry’s brother, who will help try to find people who need a home, but they hope the government, local council or charity will help match them with somebody.
They have offered to take in an adult or a couple for between six to nine months but are hoping for more information on what happens after that period.
Dominic said: “It might be an awkward situation in six months — we want to know what the government or local authority will do after that to help them move on.”
Dan Edwards
Dan Edwards, 35, knew from the first day of the invasion of Ukraine that he wanted to help, however he was able to. Edwards, a warehouse worker from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, decided to offer his spare bedroom, and found a Facebook group where people were posting offers of accommodation for refugees.
“I posted that I had a spare room and wanted to help out and then there have been Ukrainian people posting today asking for help,” he said.
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Since he has only one room, he was unable to offer it to a couple of families who reached out to him. Instead, he focused on finding either a single adult or a mother and child.
“I connected with a lady called Daria and said she could have the room,” he said. “I told her about the new scheme and we just needed to wait for more details. I will stay in contact through the week and then we will try to get the visa sorted on Friday.”
Jacqui and Jimmy Gillies
Jacqui Gillies, 57, and her husband Jimmy, 60, have a double bedroom in their home in Washington, Tyne and Wear. “My husband and I have been discussing this since people started leaving Ukraine”, she said. “We believe that at any time this could be us or our family and would hope that someone would be there to help us. I never thought I would be doing this in 2022.”
They are open to hosting anyone and are considering how they can adapt the house to make sleeping arrangements work for different family sizes. “I think they [the rooms] will be suitable for a mother and children,” she said.
She encouraged other people to offer up rooms if they are able to, adding: “People must think about what this actually entails. Be prepared. Be positive. Be kind as it could have been you.”
