Wednesday 24 August 2022
This week the Policy & Resources Committee agreed to support the Committee for Home Affairs in enhancing the existing Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme with financial assistance for those islanders who become sponsors.
The new payment is intended to assist sponsor households in meeting the additional financial costs that will be incurred as a result of accommodating Ukrainian beneficiaries, and is in line with similar schemes in the UK and the Isle of Man.
£349 will be paid a month, per sponsor, for a maximum of 12 months, and it will be administered through the Committee forEmployment & Social Security's income support scheme.
Deputy Rob Prow, President of the Committee forHome Affairs, said:
"Today, August 24th, marks Ukraine's Independence Day, and with that in mind, we are pleased to have received support from P&R for us to now provide financial assistance for islanders partaking in the sponsorship scheme. This move puts us in line with the similar schemes in the UK and the Isle of Man and will hopefully allow us to offer more accommodation for potential refugees from Ukraine. As the indefensible Russian invasion of the country continues, it becomes more important than ever that we continue to support the Ukrainian cause, and do not start to suffer complacency when it comes to dealing with this humanitarian crisis. I am pleased that we have made another step forward in that support. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those individuals within the community who have already become an approved sponsor."
Both the family scheme and the sponsorship scheme are already up and running in Guernsey, and have now been operating successfully for some time.
Currently, 16 Ukrainians have settled in Guernsey, with four being accommodated under the scheme. The remainder live with family members.
There are currently 28 confirmed sponsors who have been through, or are going through, the due diligence and safeguarding process, after follow-up enquiries were made with potentially suitable sponsors who initially expressed an interest in taking part in the scheme. It is hoped that this financial assistance will encourage others to step forward and will also help those individuals who are already helping to make the scheme a success.
