The Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme was launched on the 14th March 2022.
The scheme enables people living in the UK to offer accommodation in their own homes or property they own to individuals and families displaced from the Ukraine due to the war with Russia.
To date 700 Ukrainians have arrived in Herefordshire through the scheme, with about 30% aged 18 years old or younger. There are still more Ukrainians seeking to move to the UK, but this is limited by the number of hosts who are available.
The vast majority of Ukrainian guests arriving through the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme do not have access to their own transport. Due to the nature of the sponsorship scheme, families from the Ukraine are living in both urban and rural areas spread across the whole county.

During the first year of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, there has been activity focussed on supporting Ukrainians to access services, training, work and social opportunities without being fully reliant on their sponsors. Specifically grants were provided to the community transport providers; a trial free bus travel pilot in the HR 9 area; free school travel for children where required. As at 31st March 2023, £151,000 was spent on these three schemes. No further grant funding is anticipated for the community transport schemes, as the initial award is judged to be sufficient, based on existing use. It has been decided not to continue or extend the free bus travel pilot, due to the lack of take up and the logistics of rolling out such a scheme across the county which would mean working with at least five bus operators. The Homes for Ukraine scheme will continue to offer free school transport where required.

Feedback from Ukrainian guests and hosts as well as voluntary sector organisations is that there is a continued need to support travel around the county. Given the partial success of options already tried, it has been decided to offer a travel grant of £500 to all Ukrainians aged 5 and over who have been granted a visa through the Homes for Ukraine scheme and are living in Herefordshire. The grant can be used for any form of help towards transport including public transport / taxi costs, buying a vehicle / bike (together with running costs), support to obtain a driving licence. The Homes for Ukraine Team will process grant requests and validate them using the government database. On application, the recipient will need to describe how they will use the grant and sign a declaration that it will be used for transport expenses associated with living in Herefordshire. The Team will follow up on a sample of the grants issued to ensure that they have been used for the approved purpose.
The grant will give the Ukrainian guests choice to select the mode of transport which will help them access essential services, work and social activities, all of which are significant elements of the resettlement process.