With such distressing scenes on our screens every day, many of us may well be feeling helpless and heartbroken at the stories of people caught up in the conflict in Ukraine. But we are not helpless. The Living Wage Foundation’s parent charity Citizens UK is a leading player in the community sponsorship scheme, which allows community groups to support the resettlement of vulnerable people fleeing conflict and take the lead in welcoming them to live in their communities. The UK Government has just radically increased the scale and scope of refugee sponsorship in response to the humanitarian situation in Ukraine to allow employers to play a formal part in these resettlement programmes, including becoming refugee sponsors for the first time. The UK Government will be announcing further details soon, but we know that the scheme is uncapped, that those who come under this scheme will be granted leave for an initial period of 12 months, and that they will be able to work and access public services. Citizens UK is working with the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI) to organise a briefing in the week of March 21st for interested Living Wage Employers and civil society and community experts to come together to explore how we can welcome and support those affected by this crisis. If this is of interest to your organisation, please contact through the button below.
In the meantime, if you or colleagues would like to support CUK’s appeal, you can donate here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-ukrainian-refugees Living Wage Employers have led the way in providing for families, and now there is a chance to support those fleeing conflict.
