Ukrainian family fleeing homeland arrives in Tampa after local family offers safe space to stay
TAMPA, Fla. - A Ukrainian refugee family is getting settled into the Bay Area thanks to the kindness of complete strangers.
Anthony and Roaya Tyson say they don’t have any ties to Ukraine, but felt compelled to help refugees fleeing the country after seeing the mounting humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion.
"I was watching all the tragedy unfold in Ukraine and wondering what small thing we could do to help," said Anthony. "If it’s not giving monetarily to some relief organization, it’s hosting people and that seems to be the big need right now is to help find these people a place to live."
The Tysons began researching charities working with refugee families and discovered a Ukrainian church in Sacramento, California, looking for volunteer hosts like them.
"Within 24 hours they said we’ve got a family for you, and will you host them? And we said let’s do it," said Roaya.
They were soon connected with a family of four, Yullia, Sergey and their two boys, ages 3 and 11. The families began chatting by text, relying heavily on Google Translate to bridge the language gap.
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The Tysons learned the family had arrived in a refugee camp in Tijuana after several weeks spent shuffling between countries. Three weeks ago, Yullia, Sergey, and their sons fled from their home in Dneiper, a city north of Kyiv and now surrounded by fighting on three sides. They left with just two suitcases, not knowing where they’d end up or how long they’d be gone.
"I can’t imagine just leaving everything that you know behind. Your car, your home, your possessions, your family," said Roaya. "We just said for the grace of God it’s not us, and we want to help somehow."
Multiple countries and thousands of miles later, the family of refugees is eager to settle into a normal life.
"They’re very ambitious. They just want to build a life. They want to work. They want to put their kids in school and they just want to be regular citizens. I’m really excited for them," said Roaya.
One of the first steps will be finding the family a home of their own. They’ll get help from Gracepoint, a Bay Area nonprofit focused on mental health treatment, where Roaya serves as COO. Gracepoint says it is able to provide resources like affordable housing, medical care, and compassion for anyone in crisis.
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The Tysons are also hoping the Tampa community will rally around the refugee family as well. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with living expenses and English lessons.
Roaya and Anthony say they’re happy to be able to give back at a time when so many are hurting.
"It’s just something small that we can do and it’s our way of paying it forward," said Roaya. "We would hope that someone would do the same for us so it just seems like the right thing to do."