Ukrainian refugees and their host families gathered at North Tyneside Council’s headquarters last week to find out more about the support available to them in the borough.
Twenty refugees and their host families attended the drop-in session to find out about, and access, support available for them in North Tyneside.
Having fled from war and leaving their life behind, the support is designed to help make the transition to living in the UK as easy as possible. Help is available with everyday life, community events and support services.
From learning English and accessing local facilities to employment training, work opportunities and benefits, the wrap around support can help refugees become independent and embedded into the community.
One of the guests was Alice, who has been living in North Tyneside for just three weeks after fleeing her home in Kyiv. Thanks to her confidence in speaking Ukrainian, English and Russian, Alice has also dedicated her time to supporting her fellow Ukrainians to access support in the borough.
She attended the session alongside her host to find out more about finding a job, learning how to use our public transport system and how to get children into education. Alice was also delighted to meet with her fellow refugees from across the borough.
Speaking of her experience so far, she said: “It was great to meet with each other in order to exchange new experience and knowledge, as we all live in different towns and villages of North Tyneside.
“We try and support and help each other. We came here from different parts of Ukraine: big cities, towns, and small villages. Every Ukrainian refugee here has their own story of survival during the war, and we’ve learned to empathise and experience together. We are united in the ability to survive.
“I like living here, it’s a nice area with beautiful parks, amazing North Sea, and bountiful fresh air. People have been friendly and polite too, and the local accent is not too difficult to understand. It’s been useful to meet the North
Tyneside Council advisors to discuss the possibility of finding a suitable job for myself and I hope working with them will help with my integration into the cultural and community fabric of the North Tyneside area.”
Cllr Hannah Johnson, Cabinet Member for Inclusion, Employment and Skills at North Tyneside Council, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people in the borough who have opened their homes to those fleeing the devastating war in Ukraine.
“We want to ensure that anyone who is arriving in the borough is made to feel welcome and part of the community and provide them with the support they need whilst living here.
“From learning English to accessing local facilities such as our libraries and leisure centres, the drop in was hosted to raise awareness of the support we have in place to ensure Ukrainians can transition into life in North Tyneside.
“I’m extremely proud of the commitment of our host families, colleagues and communities to help those arriving to settle into life in the UK and I’d encourage anyone in this situation to access our brilliant support systems.”
The session was arranged by North Tyneside Council’s Working Homes and Wise Steps team, who provide employment and skills support including one-to-one sessions, training courses, and accessing employment opportunities.
As part of the session a raffle took place, with prizes for the guests kindly provided by Wallsend’s costa coffee store.
The families are being hosted in North Tyneside through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
