A family of nine who fled the war in Ukraine have raised thousands of pounds to secure a home in the UK after being asked to leave their original host home.
Maxim and Olga Hyryk arrived in Britain in May with their five young children and both of their mothers after fleeing Vladimir Putin’s invasion of their country.
After an arduous nine-day journey through airstrikes to reach the Polish border, the couple arrived in the UK and settled into a two-bedroom bungalow in Fareham, Hampshire, with their two sets of twins Maxim and David, aged seven, Amiran and Tamerlan, two, one-year-old daughter Nikol, and their mothers Anna, 70, and Olena, 60.
Amiran has autism and Anna has dementia and other medical issues and both need round-the-clock care.
The family found the accommodation through the UK Homes for Ukrainians scheme and enrolled their eldest two children in a local school after they were reportedly initially told by their hosts they could stay for six months.
However, they feared they would be left homeless after they were allegedly informed by letter that they must vacate the property by 15 July.
Ms Hyryk, 36, set up a fundraising page to raise £12,600 to cover six months’ rent and a deposit up front since the family has no credit history in the UK and fled Ukraine without any savings.
As of Thursday morning they had exceeded the target with £13,795 thanks to donations from well wishers.
She said: “When we were invited by our host to come to the UK it was not an easy decision for us to make to move so far away, as having fled from Ukraine we were without money and savings.
“Unfortunately, the family that provided us with accommodation under the Homes for Ukrainians scheme changed their mind and informed us that we should leave the accommodation as soon as possible.
“We have nowhere to go and we are very worried that we may soon be homeless with 5 children and my mother who has dementia.
“After the horror of war, it is unbearable to be in a state of insecurity and fear that we can be evicted at any moment if someone changes their mind.
“We are not beggars, we just want to stabilise our home situation and live a normal peaceful life and have confidence in the future as a whole family.”
The mother told of how the family spent nine days dodging rocket attacks as they travelled through Ukraine to reach the Polish border.
She said they then spent a long time in temporary housing near the border in the Polish village of Baligrod before arriving in the UK on 11 May.
Mr Hyryk, a project manager, said he did not understand why the family had been asked the leave.
The 36-year-old told The Sun: “We don’t know why we have to go, no one has given us a reason.
“Being told we have to leave was awful, we’ve got very young children, one of whom has autism and we also have elderly parents.
“After all of the upheaval we’ve been through we just wanted a bit of normality and stability.”
Thanks to the generosity of strangers, it looks as though their hopes to settle in the UK could come true after the family managed to hit their fundraising target within just two weeks.
Ms Hyryk said she and her husband now hope they will one day be able to work and contribute to British society.
A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “Hampshire County Council is working closely with district and borough council partners to support Ukrainian families who have settled in Hampshire, and their sponsors, as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
“While we do not comment on the detailed circumstances of individual cases, we are aware of this family’s situation and can confirm that we are working with Fareham Borough Council to ensure support is provided.
“The majority of host/guest arrangements under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme in Hampshire appear to be working well, but in circumstances where either party wishes to cease the arrangement, local authorities are able to support, either through suggesting alternative independent accommodation arrangements or possible rematching with new hosts.”
