Support for Ukraine
- Wychavon Resilience Grants
- Transport in Wychavon
- Community Funding and Support
- Wychavon Communities and Funding Advisory Panel
- Intelligently Green
- Street parties and community events
- Support for Ukraine
- Wychavon insight
- Community Right to Bid/ Assets of Community Value
- Social Mobility
- Bike locker hire
- Community Facilities map
- Young People
- Vibrant Villages Self-Help Toolkit
- Health and wellbeing
- Droitwich Leisure and Wellbeing Investment
- Raven Hotel FAQs
- Wychavon Community Stars
- Abbey Bridge Street Mural
- Signals of Joy: Cabinet Mural Competition
- Once Upon a Trail in Droitwich Spa
- We Are Wychavon Support Fund
Homes for Ukraine Scheme
The Home for Ukraine scheme was launched on 14 March 2022.
The Homes for Ukraine scheme allows individuals in the UK to sponsor a named Ukrainian national or family to come to live in the UK with them, providing that the sponsor meets the eligibility criteria and has suitable accommodation to offer that is available for at least six months after the arrival of their Ukrainian guests.
There have been several changes to the original Homes for Ukraine Scheme since it was introduced including visa applications made after 19 February 2024 which are now issued for 18 months, whereas previously they had been for three years. Ukrainian nationals who are living in the UK with existing permission on the Homes for Ukraine scheme maybe eligible for the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) to continue living in the UK for up to a further 18 months. Applications should only be made when their current permission has 28 days or less remaining until it expires.
We are working with Worcestershire County Council, and the district councils across Worcestershire, to welcome and support Ukrainian nationals in Wychavon.
The people of Wychavon have shown amazing generosity to the people of Ukraine and more than 300 people have offered to host Ukrainian nationals either in their own homes or other accommodation. We are grateful to all our sponsors / hosts, and those in the community, for the support you are providing to our Ukrainian guests. We will continue to support them, and you, for as long as necessary.
Councils have an essential role to play in supporting people in their area under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, both sponsors and guests. We are funded by government to provide support in the following areas:
- Welcoming, safeguarding and settling in
- Integration and work
- Long-term sustainable housing
- Reporting and data management
As a council, we are also responsible for administering the monthly thank you payments to sponsors. For the first six months, sponsors will be paid £350 per month for hosting a guest in their accommodation. Wychavon has decided to top up these payments to £600 per month from month 7 until the end of their guest’s visa permission to stay or if the sponsorship ends. This is to recognise the longer-term contribution hosts are making to supporting our Ukrainian guests.
Sponsor a Ukrainian guest
This section provides information if you would like to offer shelter and support to someone. There are also links to a series of guides produced by the Government to take you through the sponsorship process, visa applications and other things which you will need to consider before offering a home to someone fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
Use the links below to find the information you need:
Information for anyone wanting to sponsor a Ukrainian guest
New Ukrainian guests
You can find the Welcome to Wychavon guide in this section which provides information for Ukrainian guests who have just arrived.
pdf Welcome Guide information for new Ukrainian guests (234 KB)
Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) Scheme
The Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) was launched on 4 February 2025 to allow Ukrainian guests already in the UK to apply to extend their stay for an additional 18 months after their Homes for Ukraine (HfU) visa or another valid Ukrainian visa expires.
The UPE scheme is free to apply for and successful applicants will be able to continue living, working, studying, and accessing public funds in the UK.
It is not an automatic extension, so applications need to be made when an existing visa has 28 days or less remaining. Applicants can check their UKVI account to find their original visa expiry date. Decisions will usually be made within 8 weeks.
- If the UPE application is made on time, then the applicant's rights and entitlements will continue while the Home Office makes a decision about their UPE application.
- If the application is late (submitted after the date of expiry of their current permission), even if the application for UPE is successful later, the applicant will lose their recourse to public funds, which includes entitlements to work, study, rent and benefits, until a decision is made.