Homes for Ukraine in Aberdeenshire: experiences of guests and sponsors.

Mueller-Hirth, Natascha; Waszkiewicz, Tomasz; Magill, Sach; Machin-Autenrieth, Susanne

Abstract

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK Government announced, in March 2022, support for displaced Ukrainians coming to the UK. In addition to the Homes for Ukraine scheme that allows individual named sponsors to accommodate Ukrainians, a Scottish Super Sponsor scheme allowed people from Ukraine to travel to Scotland before being matched with a sponsor. Ukrainians arriving under these schemes have three years' leave to remain and have access to work, study and benefits. In Aberdeenshire, one of Scotland's 32 council areas in the North-East of Scotland, the Aberdeenshire Council's Refugee Resettlement Team has assisted Ukrainian families and sponsors, supporting nearly 600 Ukrainians via the various routes and matching 296 sponsors with guests. This report summarises the fundings of a multi-method study into the Aberdeenshire Homes for Ukraine scheme and the work of the Council's Resettlement Team in supporting sponsors and guests. Researchers at Robert Gordon University Aberdeen (RGU), in partnership with the Aberdeenshire Council Refugee Resettlement Team, conducted survey research and semi-structured interviews with Aberdeenshire-based sponsors and displaced Ukrainians, examining experiences of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, support they had received from the Aberdeenshire Council Refugee Resettlement Team, experiences of living in, or hosting in, Aberdeenshire, relationships between guests and hosts, and guests' plans for the future.

Citation

MUELLER-HIRTH, N., WASZKIEWICZ, T., MAGILL, S. and MACHIN-AUTENRIETH, S. 2023. Homes for Ukraine in Aberdeenshire: experiences of guests and sponsors. Aberdeen: Aberdeenshire Council. Hosted on OpenAIR [online]. Available from: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2092888

• Report Type: Project Report
• Online Publication Date: Sep 28, 2023
• Publication Date: Sep 30, 2023
• Deposit Date: Sep 28, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 28, 2023
• Keywords: Ukraine; Aberdeenshire; Refugees; Sponsors; Homes for Ukraine
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2092888