New support for recently arrived Ukrainians and hosts in West Sussex

We have launched a new community outreach project aimed at Ukrainians who have settled in West Sussex after fleeing the war in their home country.

The new project aims to reach out to Ukrainians in the community and host families by building links with local Ukrainian groups, community and advice organisations and primary and secondary schools where Ukrainian children and young people are attending. We are also working together with county and local council refugee teams and with Citizens Advice to spread the word about our support and coordinate efforts to help people who are newly arrived and their hosts.

West Sussex Mind recruited Vladyslava Bondar - a Ukrainian woman who arrived in the UK in April after fleeing the war and has lived experience of mental health - to identify Ukrainians who may benefit from our support, provide language assistance to help them access our services, and build links in the community.

Vladyslava will put those asking for help in touch with our mental health teams and other organisations who may be able to assist with housing, employment and other issues. She is recruiting Ukrainian-speaking volunteers to help Ukrainians get mental health support and is exploring options for psychological support where it is required.

Vladyslava will deliver regular mental health awareness drop-ins for Ukrainian refugees in Littlehampton, Worthing and Shoreham/Southwick, and mental health support is open to Ukrainians across the whole of West Sussex.

See our web page about the support available (this will also be available in Ukrainian), as well as translated resources for mental health training and translated leaflets about West Sussex Mind’s services for families with young children, young people aged 16-25 and parents and carers.

The project was funded through a £5,000 emergency response grant from national Mind, a grant from Arun District Council’s Homes for Ukraine project, and West Sussex Mind invested some of its own funds. The Ukrainian outreach project is part of our communities and inclusion work, which includes support for Polish communities, people living with serious mental illness and people living in the most deprived areas of the Adur district.

“We are proud to be able to offer targeted support to people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” said Katie Glover, CEO of West Sussex Mind. “We recognise that there is substantial need for our services among Ukrainians settling in West Sussex, many of whom may be traumatised by war and shoulder considerable worry for relatives remaining in Ukraine. We are working together with local and county councils and Citizens Advice to spread the word about what we can offer and provide a coordinated response to this need.”