Step 1. I have read about the government’s “Homes for Ukraine” scheme and would like to participate by hosting a Ukrainian person/family.

Step 2. Deciding about how to look for a guest / family from Ukraine

Step 3. Registering on OPORA & joining the OPORA community

Step 4. Searching for a guest

Step 5. Guest communication

Step 6a. If you found a guest using the Opora database

Step 6b. If you found a guest elsewhere, or are no longer looking for a match

Step 7. Applying for the visa

Step 8. Guest arriving

Step 1. I have read about the government scheme “Homes for Ukraine” and would like to participate by hosting a Ukrainian person/family.

Read up on government sponsor guidance & take steps to prepare. Some of these steps might take time. You can evaluate whether this is something for you and your family and which steps you need to undertake alongside finding person/family to sponsor.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homes-for-ukraine-sponsor-guides
You can find further guidance on hosting from the below organisations:
Reset’s sponsor toolkit: https://resetuk.org/toolkits/homes-for-ukraine
Refugees at Home Host and sponsor resources: https://www.refugeesathome.org/resources/
The No Accommodation Network’s guidance on ‘hosting good practice’ https://naccom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/NACCOM-Hosting-Good-Practice-Guide-2022_PART-1-FINAL.pdfand key considerations for prospective hosts https://naccom.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/NACCOM-Hosting-Good-Practice-Guide-Part2-FINAL-MAY-2022.pdf
City of Sanctuary’s ‘Things to consider before applying to be a sponsor’ https://cityofsanctuary.org/2022/03/21/things-to-consider-before-applying-to-sponsor/
VITA Network’s guidance for hosts and refugees: https://vita-network.com/saferefuge/#hosts
Sanctuary Foundation’s course offers an introduction to refugee safety, wellbeing, and support: https://www.sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk/course
Do you already know a Ukrainian family you would like to sponsor? 
If Yes - > Skip to step 7 for joint visa application
If No -> Proceed to step 2. 

Step 2. Decide on how to look for a guest / family from Ukraine

Will you look yourself, with a help of charity/NGO or UK government:
Government-sponsored matching:
Registering your interest to be a sponsor on the Government website currently does not yet lead to you being matched with Ukrainians in need. Government is partnering with Reset charity, where a separate portal has been set up - which will match sponsors and Ukrainians in need directly https://www.homesforukraine.org.uk/
Look yourself with a help of a charity and NGO
The government have posted a non-exhaustive list of charities and NGOs which can help match sponsors and guests through various methods:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-a-sponsor-using-recognised-providers-homes-for-ukraine
OPORA offers a platform for both sides to find each other and retain agency and control over the matching process for what we feel is a big decision for both sides, with long-term commitments. If you choose to use OPORA, move to Step 3. 
Social media: Some sponsors look via social media channels and multiple Facebook groups have appeared, although we do not recommend this route for security and safeguarding reasons

Step 3. Registering on OPORA Platform & join the OPORA community

https://homesforukraine.opora.uk/Login.asp
This will allow you to search for, and connect directly with Ukrainians in need of sponsorship according to your offer, and yours and their preferences. You will be able to contact them directly
● Register as a sponsor https://homesforukraine.opora.uk/RegisterSponsor.asp● Please read and understand The Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy as you register● Verify your account with the email provided (please check your spam folder, and it may take a few hours to come through) ● Fill out your offer of available accommodation (this will be saved directly to the database and be made visible to Ukrainian guests searching)● You will now have access to the database of Ukrainians looking for a host● Join the Opora Sponsor community private FB group, where the community helps with any queries and where you can find many how-to guides and templates https://www.facebook.com/groups/993583654597026/

Step 4. Searching for a guest

Would you like to proactively search yourself or accept contacts from potential guests?
If you would like to proactively search: Go to ‘Find a Guest’ and you can filter/search for guests that fit your accommodation offer.Reach out to the guests you want to contact using their stated preferred contact methods directly (we recommend WhatsApp/text, as emails may take longer to get replies; taking into account language barrier short messages are best to start with).
If you would like to wait for contact: Await communication from guests. Make sure your accommodation offer is as detailed as possible. Elaborate on facilities available in your area and what you can offer in your home.

Step 5. Guest communication

Once you are in touch with a potential guest (or more likely - multiple potential guests) you should decide if the match is right for both parties:
Set up a time to connect with the guest (family) over video - Zoom, whatsapp video etc. Consider it might be a practical challenge and require multiple approaches if guests are still in Ukraine, or if their access to internet connection is only intermittent.
Talk about your and their family lifestyle, ask about current location. Do not be afraid to ask difficult questions at this point if you have concerns.
Conduct your own due diligence and remember basic safety and safeguards when communicating and meeting people online. Some useful links we encourage you to review
● https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/work-learning/technology-internet/internet-security/ ● https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams
Decide if this is a good fit for your long-term commitment under the scheme.
The topics you may want to include in video calls with your potential guests, based on the experience of the scheme so far: ● if both you and your guests have small kids - whether your approaches to parenting align sufficiently to live in the same house (bedtimes, meals, expectations wrt children staying at home alone)● Covid vaccinations● contribution to utilities (if you expect your guests to contribute to utility costs) ● transport in your area - if you live outside a big city, try to be very clear about transport options available and if they are at all limited.
Move to Step 6a.
If you haven’t found a match via Opora or decided to stop looking altogether move to Step 6b.

Step 6a. If you found a guest using the Opora database

When you find a match, mark this on your profile to remove your listing, and link with your guest. This will allow you and your guest to view and access offers of support such as baby equipment, job offers, mental health support, etc. Marking yourself as matched on Opora will also help us to broaden the options of help in the future.
How to link profiles:

1. Sponsor removes their accommodation offer by clicking ‘remove’ next to the accommodation entry on their My Profile page in My offers section

2. Select Match Found (via Opora) as the reason

3. Sponsor receives a special unique code in My Matched Guests section on their My Profile page, provides this code to a guest and asks them to enter it onto their Opora Profile (in the Link to Sponsor field option on the My profile)

4. Guest enters a code in Link to Sponsor field on their My Profile page

5. Once they enter this code it will remove their public profile from the directory and link to this offer of accommodation.

6. Sponsor adds visa status and GWF/GWR number in My Matched Guests field .

Step 6b. If you found a guest elsewhere, or are not longer looking for a match

Please remove your accommodation offer if it’s no longer available. You can hide an accommodation offer by going to your profile to remove your listing.

Open ‘My Profile’, scroll down to see your offer - click on Remove, select the reason for removal.

You can delete a profile completely by clicking on the profile sign in the top right corner, go to
Settings and confirm Delete Profile.

Step 7. Applying for the visa

Agree with your guest who applies for the visa (either you or the guest can do it, but you will need to exchange information and communicate throughout the process)Fill out the Visa application on the Government portal, book an appointment at the nearest TLS centre for verification if needed and wait for approval
On our Opora FB Sponsor Community Group you can find many resources to facilitate this process, including editable and translated visa application questions, checklists, useful tips and more.
Send them the following link to our OPORA Telegram Channel for Guests:https://t.me/oporauk There is direct support and documents available in their mother tongue.