19th October 2023

A Big Lincolnshire Welcome Logo

Homes For Ukraine Lincolnshire e-newsletter

Welcome to the October issue of our e-newsletter for Homes For Ukraine guests and hosts.

This newsletter is sent out by the Lincolnshire County Council Homes For Ukraine team. If you have any questions for us please email us at homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Visit the 'Connect to Support' website to read this newsletter in Ukrainian or Russian (using Google Translate).

Відвідайте веб-сайт "Зверніться до служби підтримки", щоб прочитати цей інформаційний бюлетень українською або російською мовами (за допомогою Google Translate).

Посетите сайт "Связь с поддержкой", чтобы прочитать этот бюллетень на украинском или русском языках (с помощью Google Translate).

Transport

CallConnect single journeys now only £2

CallConnect is Lincolnshire's on-demand bus service, and is a way of easily travelling around if you live in a rural area that does not support many traditional bus routes.

The prices have now changed to cost at most £2 for a one-way journey. For a lot of journeys this will result in a significant savings for passengers. If you use CallConnect regularly you can also benefit from a multi-trip ticket which gives you 12 journeys for the price of 10.

To find out where you can travel to and from on CallConnect have a look at the fares calculator.

CallConnect journeys must be booked in advance, either by telephoning or booking via an app. The details of how to use CallConnect can all be found on the CallConnect website.

Transport helpline

Lincolnshire County Council also run a Transport Helpline - if you need help understanding what your options are for a journey, this team will be able to help advise on the choices available to you.

The Transport Helpline is available on 0345 456 4474, Monday-Friday 9.30am-5.30pm and Saturday 9.30am-4pm.

Further information is available on the LincsBus website, which covers all public transport in Lincolnshire.

Finance

Cost Of Living payment

The second of the government's Cost Of Living payments will be sent out between 31st October and 19th November. This is a payment of £300 and is being made to people on eligible benefits such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit.

Further details are available on the government website.

Hosts are not allowed to charge rent from their guests

When a host is receiving a monthly thankyou payment for hosting one or more Homes For Ukraine guests, the host is not allowed to charge rent to their guests.

Hosts are allowed to ask their guests for a reasonable and proportionate contribution to utility bills costs, but are not allowed to charge rent. Hosts not being allowed to charge rent is made clear in the government guidance for hosts and the government guidance for guests.

If you have any questions or concerns about this please contact either the Wellbeing Lincs team at ukraine.wellbeing@e-lindsey.gov.uk or the LCC HFU team at homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Duration of thank you payments

The guidance currently states that hosts can be paid for up to two years after a guest has been in the UK (although hosts of unaccompanied minors are eligible for thank you payments for three years).

We are aware that we are approaching this two year mark for some guests and that there is uncertainty amongst hosts as to whether or not thankyou payments will continue to be paid after a guest has been in the UK for two years. We know that clarity on thank you payments is important for future planning and this is something we have been discussing with central government for some time.

At the moment there is no change to the guidance on thank you payments but we are expecting a government clarification before Christmas on whether these will be extended. As soon as we hear anything about the future of thankyou payments we will let hosts and guests know.

Thank you payment dates

Lincolnshire County Council is responsible for administering the Homes For Ukraine scheme in Lincolnshire, but we do this in conjunction with a lot of different organisations. Thank you payments to hosts are made by District Councils on LCC's behalf.

Each District Council has their own finance processes and they have different routines for making the thankyou payments - payment runs are aligned as closely as possible to the date in the month the guest arrived, but these aren't always exact as payments are batched together for efficiency. Also thank you payment dates aren't always exactly the same date each month - payment runs aren't always initiated on the same dates each month, and they can also be affected by how weekends and bank holidays fall.

LCC and District Councils do receive a number of queries each month chasing up thank you payments , and often these are simply down to the timings of payments that are already scheduled to arrive in the next couple of days. So if you do have any concerns about a thank you payment not appearing, and you are able to give it a couple of days before contacting us, it may well be that the payment is on its way but has just not appeared in your account yet.

Change of circumstances

We would just like to remind guests that it is important to let various different organisations know if you have a change of circumstances.

A good example is that if you return to Ukraine temporarily it is important to let the Job Centre know so that they can manage your Universal Credit claim correctly in your absence.

Housing

Council Tax update

In mid-September the government issued new guidance around Council Tax for Homes For Ukraine guests who move out of hosting arrangements.

Council Tax is a tax which goes to local councils to pay for local services such as schools, police and social care. Homes For Ukraine guests who move into privately rented property or a home of their own will become liable for paying Council Tax.

If all people living in a privately rented property have Homes For Ukraine visas then the household is eligible for a 50% discount on their Council Tax. Council Tax is collected by district councils - if you have any questions about your Council Tax you should contact your local district council in the first instance.

The new national guidance about the 50% Council Tax discount is published here within the HFU guidance for guests.

"How To Rent" guide

The government have updated their How To Rent guide - this is general guidance for all people renting property in the UK, it is not tailored specifically to Homes For Ukraine guests.

However it does provide a useful overview of the process and is worth a read if you are looking at renting a property. As it is a general guide for all members of the public the guide is only available in English.

Housing advice from Shelter

The charity Shelter also offer a useful housing advice page, which contains useful guides on things like how to get a deposit back when you end a tenancy.

Checklist if you are moving accommodation

If you are moving address - for example moving from living with a host to living in rented accommodation - there are lots of organisations you will need to remember to inform. We have created a checklist to assist with this - please have a look at our Housing advice page and click on the drop-down box called "Checklist for moving accommodation".

This list can be translated to Ukrainian or Russian using the "Select Language" button at the top of the screen.

Accommodation guidance and limits

We have had a few visa applications through recently which would have breached the limits of how many Ukrainians could be suitably accommodated in the sponsor's property.

The government have published guidance on suitability of accommodation, which also includes details of who can or can't be asked to share a bedroom.

We would also ask sponsors not to submit visa applications until accommodation is actually available - if there are other people living in the accommodation at the time a visa application is submitted, the visas may be refused.

Learning to Speak English

IELTS course at Lincoln College

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) qualification is recognised around the world as a trusted way of demonstrating your abilities in the English language. To gain the IELTS qualification you must pass the IELTS test.

Lincoln College are starting a new course to prepare learners for taking the IELTS test. The course will help learners to improve their skills in all the areas covered by the IELTS test - listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Lincoln College's course starts on Thursday 2nd November and will run for 14 weeks on Thursday evenings from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. There is a fee of £150 for enrolling in the course.

Once you have completed the course you will still need to take the test. You can find details of test centres on the IELTS website, the nearest test centre to Lincoln is in Nottingham. There is a separate cost for taking the test, this is in the region of £200.

If you are interested in the IELTS course at Lincoln College please contact them for more details by emailing adult@lincolncollege.ac.uk

New English course in Boston

Taylor ITEX CIC have added another English course to supplement those they are already running at their Black Sluice Lock Cottages location in Boston.

The new course runs on Thursdays from 12:30pm to 2:30pm.

The courses run by TaylorITEX CIC are for various different levels of English, please contact Julie on 01205 360800 or julie@tayloritex.co.uk to discuss which might be the most appropriate course for you or your guests.

Free courses in teaching English

Free courses are now available for Homes For Ukraine guests living in Lincolnshire to train to Teach English as a Second or Other Language (TESOL).

This is a good opportunity to gain a recognised qualification, particularly if you wish to pursue a career in teaching English as a foreign language, or if you'd like to volunteer some of your time helping others to learn to speak English.

There are currently three free courses to choose from that are run by a company called Flying Cows Learning:-

1. CertTESOL - this is a world-renowned qualification ideal for people who would like to make teaching English as a foreign language their profession in the UK.
There is a 16-week option which requires 10-15 hours of self-directed home study per week. Learners are also required to attend the language academy in Nottingham in person on a minimum of 5 Saturdays to complete the teaching practice element of the course (attendance online on the other Saturdays is required).

There is another version of this course that is available completely online.

2. OFQUAL TEFL Cert - this is a 168-hour online course, this is a good option if you cannot commit to the full CertTESOL course and need a more flexible study option. This is a level 5 qualification which can be completed at your own pace.

3. Certificate in TESL - this is a 100-hour online course. This is an unaccredited course which is perfect for people who would like to improve their English and gain some experience in teaching English as a foreign language but do not have high enough English language ability for the higher level courses.

If you are interested in finding out more or applying for any of these courses please visit the Flying Cows website and click on the "Apply Now!" button. Flying Cows will contact you to discuss choosing a course and to check your eligibility. Spaces on these courses are limited.

Other information on learning to speak English

You can find other information on learning to speak English on our Connect To Support page - there is a lot of helpful information here, including links to online resources and also a map showing the locations of organisations who run English classes. This site can be instantly translated into Ukrainian or Russian.

Visas

Visa advice

We maintain a webpage about Visas, Sponsoring and Hosting and would encourage hosts and guests to read through this when considering decisions about any future visa applications, for example if guests decide to become sponsors to other guests.

This page is intended to provide general advice but the experts are UK Visas and Immigration (part of the Home Office) who are the people who actually make the decisions on visa applications. UKVI are the experts and we would encourage hosts and guest to contact them with any detailed questions about the Homes For Ukraine visa process or with questions about other visa routes that may be open to Ukrainians hoping to come to the UK.

Contact details for UKVI are provided in the Visa advice section of the webpage.

Qualifications

Qualification conversion

The government recently updated their guidance on Conversion Of Academic And Vocational Qualifications.

This new guidance also addresses Homes For Ukraine guests who may not have all of their relevant documentation with them - if you did not bring all of your evidence of your qualifications with you to the UK you may still be able to obtain a statement showing what level you are qualified to.

If you think you would like to demonstrate the UK-equivalent of your Ukrainian qualifications please read through the guidance linked above, and look at the ECCTIS and ENIC websites.

Events

GoGro cookery sessions

GoGro CIC are running a series of Ukrainian Cookery And Friendship classes around Lincolnshire. These fun sessions are an opportunity to learn and share about different types of cookery, both Ukrainian and British.

The sessions are free to attend and are being run at various different locations around Lincolnshire. Please look at the GoGro website to find out details of times and locations. It would be appreciated if you could notify the location where the class is happening if you are planning to attend.

Gainsborough Jobs Fair

There is a Jobs Fair running in Gainsborough on Wednesday 1st November - this is a general event for people to attend to find out about job opportunities.

Whilst this is a general event for job seekers, there will be attendance from the LCC Homes For Ukraine team, Wellbeing Lincs, Citizens Advice and other organisations involved in supporting Homes For Ukraine guests. If you are a host or guest living in the Gainsborough area do please come along if you have any questions for us.

The Jobs Fair is happening on 1st November from 10am-2pm at the Riverside Room, United Services Club, Bridge Street, Gainsborough.

For further information please see the event flyer.

Good Mood Café in Holbeach

Boxes Of Hope are launching a new Good Mood Cafe, this will be a session during the morning and evening that any Ukrainians are welcome to come along to just to meet people and have a chat.

The Good Mood Cafe is at Boxes Of Hope's Community Hub at 23 High Street, Holbeach. The Cafe opens on Thursday 19th October and will be open every Thursday from 10am-12pm and from 6pm to 8pm.

More details are available on the poster in English or Ukrainian.

Night Light Cafes for mental health support

Acts Trust are running Night Light Cafes at various locations around Lincolnshire - these are drop-in sessions for people who are experiencing mental health difficulties in their life. The cafes provide non-clinical support and signposting from 8pm-midnight throughout the week.

You can get in touch before you attend, or you can simply drop in and speak to someone. Further contact and location details are available on the Night Light Cafe website or you can make contact with them by telephoning 0300 011 1200 or by emailing nightlight@actstrust.org.uk

Information about other mental health support that's available to hosts and guests is available on our Connect To Support website, which can be translated into Ukrainian or Russian.

Events

Please send any events for this newsletter to: homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk

New or existing events, activities and any other support services open to Ukrainian guests can also be added to the 'Connect to Support' directory by completing the sign-up form (add ‘Ukraine Support’ to the title of your listings).

Wellbeing Lincs support for Ukrainians in Lincolnshire

Wellbeing Lincs logo

'Wellbeing Lincs' offers emotional and practical support - for example, help with advice on accessing health, education, benefits and housing - to all hosts and guests in Lincolnshire.

If you need to have a potentially difficult conversation with your host / guest, the 'Wellbeing Lincs' team may be able help you navigate this. They are trained in providing mediation and can support you in talking things through openly and honestly to reach a positive solution.

For help, email ukraine.wellbeing@e-lindsey.gov.uk with your name, address, contact information and a brief description of what you need.

The team will aim to be in touch within two working days. They can also be contacted by phone on 01507 613044 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday or 10am to 4.30pm on Fridays.

Important Links / Важливі посилання / Важные ссылки

Contact us

If you have any questions, please contact Lincolnshire County Council's 'Homes for Ukraine' team on homesforukraine@lincolnshire.gov.uk.