Two Ukrainian refugees moving to the Philly area

We have created a small "welcome circle" through HIAS and Sponsor Circles to welcome two Ukrainian refugees to our Elkins Park/Philadelphia community. This means helping them find housing, furniture, food, jobs, ESL services, health care, helping them navigate government agencies, and everything required to start a new life in the United States. Although we have nonprofits advising us on navigating the system, we are bearing the full financial burden of getting these two refugees settled.

How the money will be used:

The plan is for them to seek work once they have received work authorization from the US government, which generally takes a couple months.

-$25 covers a weekly SEPTA TransPass to take public transit

-$50 covers a jacket for the winter

-$100 covers groceries for one week

-$750 covers airfare for one person

-$1,300 covers the security deposit for a rental apartment

Non-cash help we are seeking--if this is you, we'd love to talk to you:

Timing: We are in the process of filling out I-134 forms to formally sponsor them. Realistically, we expect them to come to the US at the beginning of the new year. We'd like to have as much in place for their arrival as we can.

About Sergey and Tymofii:

Sergey and Tymofii are Ukrainian refugees currently in resettlement accommodations in Poland, where employment and mobility is scarce, and anti-Ukrainian xenophobia is plentiful.

Sergey in his own words:

My name is Sergey. I was born in the small town of Dneprodzerzhinsk. (Since 2016, the city has been given back its former name - Kamenskoye.) For about 10 years, I worked at a paint and varnish factory. Work at this enterprise was considered very prestigious, so every resident of the city dreamed of working at the plant at least once. However, on February 24, a massive invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine began, and I, fearing for my life and safety, decided to flee to Poland.

I sincerely hoped that life in Poland would be better, but it turned out to be far from the case. I live in a hostel and have repeatedly encountered xenophobia, anti-Semitism and other negative factors. I lost all hope of improving my life, as prices for food and utilities, as well as housing and even beds in hostels, have risen sharply. I work in Poland as a cleaner at a construction supermarket, but my salary is barely enough to live a month. There are days when I simply cannot afford to eat a normal meal.

When I heard that there was an opportunity to find kind people in the US who can help, I decided to give it a try and got the confidence that my life could improve. I really want to learn English as thoroughly as possible, acquire any professional skills, and become useful to American society. I love to explore the world, I love art, photography, travel, and new interesting acquaintances. I will be very glad and happy if there are kind people who can help me fulfill my dream and hope for a peaceful and peaceful life away from war, in a free and democratic country that, under its great banner, accepts people like me. God bless America!

Tymofii in his own words:

My name is Tim, I was born in Ukraine, in the city of Sevastopol. Before the war, I studied as a ship mechanic. In all my time, I really like to draw and I want to become the best artist! I arrived in Poland on July 9, as I left Ukraine in fear of my life. I want to learn English and I am looking forward to getting acquainted with American culture!

How we plan to manage the money:

Because these nonprofits are only advisors but not directly financially liable or disbursing funds for the Uniting 4 Ukraine program through the US government, we created a separate bank account specifically for this project. We are hoping to receive a grant match from HIAS -- they want to see we've made our own fundraising efforts, so we need to raise at least $5k to be able to apply for a grant, which could match up to another $5k.

We (the welcome circle) are planning to use this separate bank account to pay for the refugees' expenses while they are here, and our intention is to directly pay for most expenses ourselves initially (i.e. writing a check to a landlord vs. to the men themselves). That said, we do plan to make sure they have at least some spending money and they will take a larger hand in their own financial management as they gain independence.

If for some reason the US government doesn't grant their visa application after we have raised funds, we will donate any funds raised to HIAS to help them resettle other refugees. If we raise more than we need and they are self-sufficient before we use all the funds we've raised, we will donate the remainder to either another refugee family locally or HIAS.