The latest on the city council’s response and how you can help
Russia’s horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine hits very close to home. Not just because of the proximity of this war, but because of the family and civic connections between our nations and, in particular, between Edinburgh and our twin city Kyiv.
There has been a characteristically caring and generous response from the people of Edinburgh since the invasion began, with countless individuals and organisations coming forward with offers of support and donations.
How can I help?
From speaking to the Ukrainian community and the volunteers supporting them here in Edinburgh, they have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of donated goods.
If you want to help, please consider giving a monetary donation instead. There are many options available, but we are recommending the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Can I volunteer?
We are working extremely closely with EVOC and Volunteer Edinburgh to help coordinate our response to the crisis. If you want to find out more about volunteering opportunities and how to register, please visit the Volunteer Edinburgh website.
Can I take refugees into my home?
The UK Government has just launched its Homes for Ukraine scheme, which will allow households to sponsor and take in refugees who are fleeing the war.
The first phase, which began taking registrations of interest yesterday, is aimed at individuals who are able to make offers to a specific person/people.
Those arriving will have met standard security checks, and all sponsors and all adults in the sponsoring households will be required to do the same.
A monthly payment of £350 will be offered in exchange for accommodation (spare room/self-contained accommodation) for a minimum six months. This doesn’t include meals or living expenses.
Initial details of the scheme, FAQs and how to apply are available from the UK Government website.
What is the Council doing?
As a Council, and as a City, we have shared our condemnation for Russia’s actions and are holding out the hand of friendship to the people of Ukraine, committing to doing whatever we can to help.
The Ukraine flag continues to fly above the City Chambers as a symbol of our solidarity with the Ukrainian people, while the Granton gasholder remains illuminated in Ukraine’s colours.
The Lord Provost has written to the Major of Kyiv and delivered a video message to the Eurocities anti-war demonstration in Florence (38 mins in) which also featured a live address from the President of Ukraine.
At their meeting on Thursday, councillors are set to award the Freedom of Edinburgh to President Zelensky and Mayor Klitschko, in recognition of standing heroically by their country and their citizens.
We are in regular touch with the Mayor’s office, as we are with the Mayor of another of Edinburgh’s twin cities, Kraków, which has already welcomed well over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.
They have provided us with a list of the goods they desperately need, and we are working closely with our partners to arrange shipments for those who have made it to Krakow and those who remain in Kyiv.
Our plans for incoming refugees are developing quickly and we’re in daily meetings with the Home Office, Scottish Government, Edinburgh Airport, third sector and other agencies to ensure we provide the warmest possible welcome from the moment they land. They have had their lives torn apart and will be traumatised and afraid. Some will be extremely young and/or vulnerable and will need urgent care.
This involves coordinating support and ensuring we make the best use of the limited resources we have available – whether that be arranging short and longer-term accommodation, transport, interpreters, access to GPs and healthcare support, counselling, education or any of the other basic services that we all rely on. We have set up a dedicated helpline for Ukrainian arrivals, which will be manned 24 hours a day by our Customer Team.
While this is ongoing, and assuming agreement by councillors on Thursday, we will write to the Home Office encouraging unrestricted refugee visas and local working to source host families to house refugees, with a focus on those most able to support unaccompanied children.
We also plan to write to the MOD to request access to unused temporary accommodation for those travelling to Edinburgh from Ukraine, and to provide £100,000 in Council funding to help coordinate local humanitarian aid.
Other useful links:
- The Scottish Parliament Information Centre has published a guide to supporting Ukrainians to come to the UK
- Scottish Refugee Council: Online help session for Ukrainians
- Barnardo’s: UK-wide helpline
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