Support for sponsors

Your sponsorship arrangement might end for many different reasons. If your living arrangements aren’t working out because you are not getting on with your guest, or you are worried it is about to end, please email us on homesforukraine@lancashire.gov.uk or call Homes for Ukraine Helpline on 0300 123 6718 as soon as possible so we could arrange the specific assistance for you.

If your guest is at risk of becoming homeless, you should apply to your district council Homelessness or Housing team for help as soon as possible. This will give them more time to prevent your guest becoming homeless or help your guest to find somewhere else to live.

You can also find a list of local authority out of hours emergency numbers.

Blackburn with Darwen

• Email housingneeds@blackburn.gov.uk
• Phone 01254 585457

Blackpool

• Email housing.options@blackpool.gov.uk
• Phone 01253 477760

Burnley

• Email housing@burnley.gov.uk 
• Phone 01282 425011

Chorley

• Email Housing.solutions@chorley.gov.uk
• Phone 01257 515151

Fylde

• Email housing@fylde.gov.uk
• Phone 01253 658658

Hyndburn

• Email strat@hyndburnbc.gov.uk
• Phone 01254 388111

Lancaster

• Email strategichousing@lancaster.gov.uk
• Phone 01524 582257

Pendle 

• Email housing.needs@pendle.gov.uk
• Phone 01282 661661 (ask for Housing Options)

Preston

• Online Contact Form
• Phone 01772 906412

Ribble Valley  

• Email housing@ribblevalley.gov.uk
• Phone 01200 414551

Rossendale

• Email housingoptions@rossendalebc.gov.uk
• Phone 01706 252555

South Ribble

• Email housing@southribble.gov.uk
• Phone 01772 625625

West Lancashire

• Email privatesectorhousing@westlancs.gov.uk (Private Sector)
• Phone 01695 585279

Homelessness Prevention

• Email homelessness@westlancs.gov.uk
• Phone 01695 585223 or 01695 585222

Wyre

• Email housingoptions@wyre.gov.uk
• Phone 01253 891000

Anyone who meets the below criteria is able to register for the scheme. 

Sponsor Eligibility Criteria

• Be based anywhere in the UK
• A British or Irish citizen, or be 'settled in the UK' (which means having the right to live in the UK permanently)
• Able to provide accommodation or a minimum of 6 months
• Have permission from the homeowner/ landlord

More information can be found here

The accommodation must be available for at least 6 months, but this can be up to 3 years if you choose, fit for people to live in, and suitable for the number of people to be accommodated.

Before signing up for the scheme we want you to consider the following questions, to ensure that everyone feels protected and secure:

Housing

1. Have you checked with your landlord, mortgage provider and home insurance provider to ensure you are able to offer a space?
2. Are you happy to give a copy of your house key to your guest?
3. Will you be comfortable allowing people access to your home if you go on holiday?
4. How will you feel if your guest still hasn't found a house after 12 months? Will you be able to let them stay? Will you feel comfortable evicting your guest? 

Financial

1. Will this impact on your council tax, utility bills or rent?
2. Will you be able to provide food and other basics whilst arrivals wait for their benefits claim to be processed?
3. Can you afford to pay for their flights to the UK? Sponsors are being asked to support Ukrainians to get to the UK and are expected to pick them up from the airport.

Practical 

1. Do you have the time to support people to register to GPs, dentists, etc.?
2. Can you help someone navigate a new place and new systems without interpretation or translation support?
3. Are you comfortable with social workers and support staff visiting your home to help with integration?
4. Will you feel comfortable living with people who have a very different parenting style or culture?
5. Are you happy living with someone who has not had any Covid-19 vaccinations?

Emotional

1. Have you spoken to your family or children about how they feel about hosting a new person in your home?
2. Have you met someone with PTSD? People suffering from trauma can be very depressed, hopeless and angry. This can be difficult to be around and needs specialised treatment and therapy. PTSD often lasts for years.
3. Are you able to support someone who has complex mental health problems? Sponsors will be provided with no medical history about a guest.

Once the application is completed, the details will be shared with the local authority of the address listed on the application.

We will then send you an email with the next steps and will request checks on the accommodation and living arrangements (property check), along with safeguarding checks (including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks) to determine your suitability as a sponsor. Your District Council will contact you separately to conduct a property check.

We will also make at least one in-person visit (known as welfare visit) once your guests have arrived to see if there are any welfare concerns or formal assessments that should be made.

The Home Office will sometimes require proof the checks have been undertaken before issuing a visa, so it is important that you engage with them all relevant department.   It could be a case when your guest will have arrived prior to us completing all the necessary checks.

Once the guest has arrived, you MUST let us know so we can update our records and welcome the guest to Lancashire. You will receive a reminder of the next steps to enable them to assist your guest with integrating into life in the UK.

In the meantime, we recommend that you familiarise yourself with the Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Guidance (GOV.uk).

IMPORTANT:  We can check the status of the visa for your guest but cannot confirm any more information or provide any timeframes on how long it may take for the visa to be issued.

You and your guest will receive monthly welfare calls from us and regular emails with any updates or information you may find useful. We also have a team on hand for any queries you want to raise. We can be contacted on 0300 123 6718 or homesforukraine@lancashire.gov.uk.

You will also have a wellbeing support worker allocated to you, who will arrange a welfare visit once you guest has arrived and who you can reach for support if needed.

As a sponsor you might like to talk to and share things with others who are also sponsoring in your area. Your local authority or the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) might be able to help you find a local peer support group.

Community support hubs provide support and assistance to sponsors and guests.

• Community Support Hubs Ukraine (PDF, 176 KB)

We also know sponsorship works best when the responsibility for hosting and supporting guests is shared. This guide shows you How to build a support group.

Sponsors and guests might need some time out or space from their living arrangement. This support varies across the country, but here are some good examples:

• Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) offer drop-in sessions or may be able to direct you to a local support group that does

Your guest’s wellbeing

You will want to help your guests to understand where they can go for more help.

The British Red Cross has some useful videos in Ukrainian that you can share with guests.

They have a free helpline where you, or your guests, can ask for an interpreter and receive emotional support.

helpline number: 0808 196 3651, open every day 10 am to 6pm

Barnardo’s have set up the Ukrainian Support Helpline to provide a support service for a wide range of needs. Barnardo’s helpline for Ukrainians.

helpline number: 0800 148 8586

open Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm, and Saturday 10am to 3pm

you can also email ukrainiansupport@barnardos.org.uk

Mental health support

• Sane Ukraine: trauma support for people from Ukraine, daily sessions at 7.30pm Ukrainian time
• Doctors of the world have a series of translated resources about the UK healthcare system
• Thrive LDN: guides for wellbeing for guests

Other resources we will provide you with include:

• A Sponsors' Handbook
• A Guest Handbook in Ukrainian explaining UK systems
• Next Steps Checklist
• Free webinars and in-person meetings on various topics
• Signposting to relevant community services
• Community gatherings and celebration events

This government's guidance outlines important information for sponsors including responsibilities of sponsors and how sponsors may support their guests.

See the government's guidance - Homes for Ukraine Sponsor Guidance. 

To thank sponsors for their support of their Ukrainian guests and to compensate them for any additional costs incurred. You will receive £350 a month during the first 12 months of your guests’ stay. This increases to £500 once your guest has been in the UK for 12 months in order to help sponsors who are able to continue hosting for longer. 

Thank you payments are available to sponsors for the duration of a guest’s Homes for Ukraine visa permission - up to 36 months for sponsors of guests on a three year Homes for Ukraine visa, and up to 18 months for guests on the new 18 month Homes for Ukraine visa (which came into effect on 19 February 2024).

Important! The payment is subject to all checks (DBS, Property & Welfare) being completed successfully and the sponsor must engage with all statutory checks carried out by LCC including regular welfare calls with the sponsor and guest. If you charge your guests rent, you will forfeit your right to these payments.

If you live in the following area, you can apply via your district council: 

• Burnley - Burnley District Council are contacting sponsors direct. If there are queries, sponsors can email sponsor@burnley.gov.uk
• Chorley District Council will contact sponsors directly. If there are queries, sponsors can email commuities@chorley.gov.uk
• Fylde
• Hyndburn
• Lancaster
• Pendle Borough Council will contact sponsors directly via email
• Ribble Valley
• Rossendale
• South Ribble
• West Lancashire District Council will contact sponsors direct

Wyre Thank You Payment Portal 

Sponsors are encouraged to openly communicate with guests about future plans as early as possible and ideally no later than 4 months after their arrival.

The sooner you begin such discussions the more time they will have to prepare and arrange for next steps.

There are many hosts willing and happy to sponsor beyond the 6 months mark, however guests should be aware that hosts are not obliged to continue the sponsorship beyond 6 months. Not every host can continue to offer accommodation after six months.

It is therefore imperative that guests are aware of your intentions so they can explore options for moving on in order to facilitate a swift transition to independent living.  

Re-matching

Please complete the form for re-matching if you are a sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and are looking to be:

• re-matched with a guest you know, or have connected with, but the guests have not moved into your property yet (from within Lancashire or anywhere in the UK)
• re-matched with a guest that you have privately matched with and where the guests have already moved into your property (from within Lancashire County or anywhere in the UK)

If your guests have re-matched with a host outside of Lancashire and you would like to support them in facilitating their move to their new host, you will also need to complete the form for re-matching. 

Completing the form will notify us of the change. Please ensure that the details of the guest's first sponsor, from the Homes For Ukraine Scheme application is included.

Please complete the non-extension of sponsorship form if you are a sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and would like to end your sponsorship with your guests.

You should complete the form if:

• you no longer want to sponsor your guests and would like to notify us
• you are ending your sponsorship with your guests anywhere between 6-12 months of sponsorship
• if your guests would like to be rematched with a new host family and you would like to support their move

Please complete the complete the form in order to notify us of the change.