Worthing-based mental health charity West Sussex Mind, is reaching out to Ukrainians who have settled in the county after fleeing the war in their home country.
It has launched a new community outreach project to connect with Ukrainians who have recently arrived and their host families and to help them access mental health support. The project aims to build links with local Ukrainian groups, community and advice organisations and primary and secondary schools where Ukrainian children and young people are attending.
The charity is also working together with county and local council refugee teams and with Citizens Advice to spread the word about its 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 their support, provide language assistance to help them access their services, and build links in the community.
Vladyslava will put those asking for help in touch with West Sussex Mind’s 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 available to Ukrainians across the whole of West Sussex.
The Ukrainian outreach project is part of West Sussex Mind’s 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.
Katie Glover, CEO of West Sussex Mind, said:
“We are proud to be able to offer targeted support to people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 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.”
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