Birmingham to shows its support for Ukraine Independence Day

Wednesday, 23 August 2023 19:15

Birmingham City Council is showing its support for Ukrainian citizens who have arrived in the city under the Homes For Ukraine scheme as the community marks its national day this week.

Tomorrow (24 August) the city’s Ukrainian community will celebrate Ukraine Independence Day with a rally and flashmob event in Centenary Square from 5.30pm to create a ‘living Tryzub’ – the country’s coat of arms.

The event, organised by Birmingham-based Bosnia and Herzegovina UK Network and supported by the city council, will also include a rally for people to show their support for Ukraine and its citizens.

The Library of Birmingham will also be lit yellow and blue on Thursday night as a further display of the city’s support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian community.

Birmingham has also been a sister city of Zaporizhzhia since 1973, and like our ‘city of 1,000 trades’ it is also an industrial city.

Ukraine’s Independence Day also marks 18 months since the Russian invasion in February 2022 – since when Birmingham has welcomed 935 women and children under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

However there’s still a need for more local hosts to help accommodate Ukrainian families – for which there is financial support via Government funding.

Recently the city council received £2m via the Government’s Homelessness Prevention Grant to help alleviate the pressures upon services preventing homelessness, of which £500,000 will be used to help sustain our work to support hosts welcoming families from Ukraine and enable them to move onto their own accommodation.

The existing move-on grant programme for families through the Homes for Ukraine scheme has already helped 93 families move into the private rented sector through grants.

In addition the funds will be invested in homelessness prevention. Last month (July 2023) more than half the households presenting at a time when prevention was possible were helped to stay in their own home or secure alternative accommodation.

Housing Solutions and Support will continue to enable approaches including private rented sector access, security for homes where there’s been threats of violence, and mediation between family members.

Visit the council’s website for more information about the Homes for Ukraine scheme in Birmingham.