Council chiefs say steps are being taken to ensure Ukrainian refugees are able to settle in Staffordshire
Families have already begun arriving in Lichfield, with 183 sponsors in Staffordshire having being matched with almost 500 evacuees from Eastern Europe so far.
Staffordshire County Council and Lichfield District Council are among the authorities working to ensure support is in place when people arrive.
This includes liaising with local schools and GPs so refugees can access services.
Cllr Victoria Wilson, cabinet member for communities at Staffordshire County Council, said:
“Once again, Staffordshire people have stepped up to help those in need, generously offering their homes to people in Ukraine fleeing war – and I want to thank every sponsor for generously offering to share their home with people in need.
“We are now doing everything we can to ensure evacuees from Ukraine receive a warm welcome in our county.
“Many people coming to our county will be traumatised by the events in Ukraine, so it is really important to have the right support in place to help them.
“This really has been a partnership effort – our district and borough councils are also playing a huge part in this, and we are working with them and health partners to ensure everything is in place.
“It’s our job to keep everyone involved in this scheme as safe as possible, so it’s important we put all of the essential checks in place and ensure everything is set up for when they arrive.”
Cllr Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council
Lichfield District Council has also launched a local initiative aiming to connect individuals and organisations to newly-arrived Ukrainian refugees.
