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Newbury woman awaits refugee's arrival amid slow Government Homes for Ukraine scheme




A Newbury woman has told of her struggle to get a Ukrainian refugee from near Kyiv to the UK via the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Charity manager Rachel Horner, 48, who works for Mission District, which aims to help Kenyan organisations with building classrooms and other infrastructure projects, decided she wanted to house a Ukrainian refugee in her West Berkshire home.

Living with 48-year-old husband Fig, the couple were preparing to open their doors to Ukrainian Anna, who recently had to leave her parents and her husband and flee her home country.

Rachel and husband Fig at the Watermill. Picture by: Rachel Horner (56065729)
Rachel and husband Fig at the Watermill. Picture by: Rachel Horner (56065729)

Mrs Horner, who is also a trustee for a girls refuge in Kenya which rescues girls from FGM and early marriage, says that Anna’s husband persuaded her to leave, despite her initial refusal, as he felt it would be easier for him to face the fighting knowing that she was safe, not having to worry whether she was somewhere that was being bombed or occupied.

Alone, Anna left her town of Vorzel, which is about five miles outside Kyiv, travelled through Western Ukraine and eventually crossed the border into Poland where she is now sleeping on the floor of someone’s flat.

She applied to come to the UK, under the Government scheme, the day that it opened on March 18, but almost a month on and she still has no clarity as to when she may meet Mrs Horner in real life.

Mrs Horner said that Anna’s husband’s stress has continued as he knows that while she she is safe from the fighting, she is not settled anywhere and may not find a proper home for a longer period of time.

“To wait as long as [Anna] has now the stress on her, she’s coming to a place she doesn’t know, to people she doesn’t know with a language she doesn’t speak,” she said.

Anna recently went to check her application but was met with the news that it hadn’t been officially submitted, leading Mrs Horner to try to get to the bottom of what went wrong.

She said that there was a possibility that Anna’s application hadn’t “gone through”.

Mrs Horner phoned the Home Office helpline and was told not to resubmit as this could lead to Anna having “two applications” and being flagged up as “potential fraud”.

“It has just been really hard,” she said. “Some people have spoken to the MP and said they’ve been really helpful but in 50 hosts in our group, all 50 can’t sit on the phone to her office every day.”

She added: “Whilst I accept there are checks that need to be done and what they they’re offering people when they arrive is generous, hardly anybody seems to be getting through the system.

“There is just such a lack of information.”

The lack of communication has led to many resorting to creating WhatsApp groups, whereby people experiencing the same thing share their individual journeys in order to better understand the processes.

Since matching under the scheme, the pair have been communicating with each other via WhatsApp, discussing all the fun things they can do together upon Anna’s arrival, like learning each other’s languages and meeting Anna’s pet dog, but as time goes on without any confirmation or clarity from the UK Home Office, Mrs Horner says their spirits are being “dampened”.

She said: “In the last three to four weeks her texts have become more upset and more withdrawn. She’s got nothing to do all day except worry.

“She’s been through all emotions to angry and is sad a lot of the time.

“It’s very distressing, she’s having to leave people behind. She has seen awful things.”

As the time pressed on Mrs Horner is also becoming increasingly worried about Anna’s financial situation.

“I’m worried about Anna running out of money. How is she accessing money to sustain herself?

“I am worried about Anna, I am worried she will give up and not come.”

Mrs Horner said that one of her biggest concerns is human traffickers taking advantage of people in these vulnerable situations.

She commented: “That does happen where I work in Africa, it’s a lack of information.

“Traffickers are saying I can get you into the UK give me your passport.”

She went on: “They are there telling people that they can get you into these countries, even Anna said is there any other way in and I said there isn’t please don’t listen to anyone who says they can get you into other countries or in our country."

Amid the stressful situation Mrs Horner has praised the work of the Newbury community in coming together to organise events, language lessons and counselling, all with the aim of making refugees feel welcome.

She says that this situation may also change people's general attitudes towards refugees and fosters “greater understanding and kinder attitudes”.

n Yesterday (Wednesday), Mrs Horner told the Newbury Weekly News that Anna's visa has "finally come through". It is hoped that she will join the Newbury family this weekend.



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