Central Scotland MSP Gillian Mackay sent her best wishes to Ukrainian refugees living in North Lanarkshire as she raised the topic of the resettlement fund, set up to help them, in the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish Green Party politician highlighted the £50m longer-term resettlement fund and asked the Scottish Government for more details on the £5m allocated to North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) and how that had directly impacted the resettled Ukrainians.
Shotts' MSP Neil Gray, who is Minister with special responsibility for Refugees from Ukraine, reported that since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces more than 21,500 people from the country have arrived in Scotland with a sponsor.
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The fund will help boost supply of homes available to support displaced people into longer term sustainable accommodation.
Birkshaw Tower in Wishaw is already being used to house 20 families, with the £5m allocated to NLC helping to bring 200 homes back into temporary use in tower blocks in both Coatbridge and Wishaw that had been earmarked for demolition.
Construction work is currently ongoing on High Coats tower block in Coatbridge to boost the number of homes available.
Gillian Mackay MSP said: “I am pleased to see that we are already seeing the positive impact of the funding which was made available to support displaced people from Ukraine.
“For refugees fleeing the traumatic ordeal of war, having somewhere safe and secure to live will help towards re-building their lives.
“By working together, we can continue to ensure that Ukrainians are able to rebuild their lives in Scotland and I’ll continue to support the work of local communities and councils who are providing assistance and homes to displaced Ukrainians.
“I wish them all the best in their new communities and homes in Lanarkshire and across Scotland.”
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