Welcome Hubs
In light of the British Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, the concept of ‘Welcome Hubs’ was developed to provide a wrap-around community response for Ukrainians coming to the UK. The Welcome Hubs are designed to link local, volunteer-led groups to each other as well as to the corresponding Local Authority and the wider VCSE sector. As such, the Hubs:
Support Ukrainians settling into their new neighbourhood by providing a sense of community, food and resettlement support (such as English lessons) through a regular rhythm of daytime and evening activities in a community space
Support hosts by helping them prepare for the hosting role in advance and by working collaboratively in supporting their Ukrainian guests
Partner with the local council by providing a physical space for expert resettlement help for Ukrainians and help with wider communication messages
The Welcome Hubs have hosted a variety of activities, ranging from coffee mornings, community meals, children’s groups and ESOL classes.
Welcome Hubs in Bristol
In Bristol, we have coordinated the creation of a network of 15 Welcome Hubs for Ukrainian refugees, in partnership with Bristol City Council and churches of various denominations. Click here to view Image 1: A map of the Welcome Hubs that have been established by Summer 2022
A survey by Bristol City Council found that approximately 400 Ukrainians used the Welcome Hubs in their first six months of operation, with 97% rating them as ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’.
“The Welcome Hubs created a sense of community. It allowed us to make connections with other families.” - Ukrainian guest
“It has opened our eyes to the refugee experience. They are right on our doorstep. I now wonder why we did not see it before”. - Welcome Hub volunteer
“We’ve never had such an overwhelming response to volunteering. We’re used to volunteering, but this was different’ ‘We’ve seen volunteers blossom. Everyone has found a role to play’ - Welcome Hub leader
Extension of Welcome Hubs
In a collaboration between Social Finance and the Good Faith Partnership, and fully funded through philanthropic grants, we are currently working to test and expand the Welcome Hub model in two new areas.
We aim to:
test how Welcome Hub networks add value in the two areas and if they are a sustainable addition to the support system that could be adopted at greater scale
test whether and how the model could work for different refugee cohorts (including for example Afghans, Syrians, and/or those with NRPF)
share and if helpful codify learnings, best practice and useful tools with other Local Authorities and the wider sector
For more information about the Welcome Hubs work, please email david.barclay@goodfaith.org.uk.