Viktoriia came to Westmorland and Furness from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine with her young daughter. “It wasn't easy at all because I have no house anymore. It has been burned down by Russia.” They were initially hosted in the village of Storth: “Very kind people were helping. So we were pleased with this very much. Also, I received a job in school, and people in school were very kind to us.”
There are currently 374 Ukrainians who have come to live in Westmorland and Furness since the start of the conflict. 128 of them are living with hosts under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, whilst 246 are living independently. Originally 587 people arrived in what is now Westmorland in Furness from 2022, but 213 have left to go back home or to move elsewhere in the UK.
Kateryna arrived with her children to be hosted in Kendal. “When I moved to the UK, I didn't know English at all. And different culture, different mentality, different everything. I had stress because I need to think about my kids, where I get money, what I can give my kids here. But I have a very nice host. It's really my second family. I still live with her. She gave me big support, it was like support, protect and caring.”
People like Kateryna’s host are now eligible for top up funding from Westmorland and Furness Council, after the national Government decided to end a higher payment under the Homes for Ukraine scheme for those hosting for more than 12 months. Westmorland and Furness Council will ensure eligible hosts continue to receive the higher figure of £500 per month. This includes those who are still hosting Ukrainian guests after 12 months and those who reach the 12-month hosting milestone by 1 April 2025.
Kateryna has decided to stay with her host, but Viktoriia and her daughter moved into her own home in Milnthorpe with the help of the council’s Move to Independence Scheme. This was set up in 2024 using UK Government money to support Ukrainian nationals who had arrived in the area under the Homes For Ukraine Scheme (HFU) to move into independent living. “You feel more calm because it's very hard to live with people. You have to be quiet and with a little child it's very hard, very difficult to be quiet all the time.”
Anna, a cardiologist doctor, had escaped the war with her children but says it was hard to live without her husband Oleg, a veterinary surgeon. He joined the family when they found a new host in Shap. They were then supported by Westmorland and Furness Council to move into their own home in Penrith. Anna said: “I am really, really happy because it's beautiful area with beautiful views. Friendly people.”
All of them are understandably concerned about the situation in Ukraine, but they have mixed opinions about the prospect of one day returning to live. Oleg would like to go back to his homeland. “It depends on situation in Ukraine. I hope maybe we will go home because I left [my] house, I left [my] garden, I left my work.” But Anna is unsure: “Honestly, I cannot see the end of this war. And now mostly I am thinking about my children because I am afraid if they settled here, it would be hard to back them to Ukraine. Ruined Ukraine.”
Viktoriia’s husband is back in Ukraine but she too is uncertain. “I lost my job in Ukraine, I lost my house. So if I will go back to Ukraine, I have to start my life again from the beginning. So it will be difficult again.”
Kateryna wants to stay here. “I have had a few visits to Ukraine. But every time when I visited Ukraine, I felt like it's not my place anymore”.
Councillor Helen Chaffey, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Organisational Culture and Communications, said:
“With the Ukrainian conflict now in its fourth year, it is important that we continue to support both hosts and guests. The hosts have shown unwavering generosity and commitment, whilst it is also right the council supports guests in moving into their own homes if that is right for them, so they can build a future here in Westmorland and Furness. Hearing what the Ukrainians have said shows the importance, and the impact, of the work being done by the council’s Resettlement team.”
As Viktoriia said, “now it feels very much like home”.