struggle with the bureaucracy and to
find a new home in such a short period,
especially in a foreign country.
So how does it work? First of all a quick
and easy form to fill in on the Refugees
at Home website. Next a home visitor
comes to your home. This is for them
to check out your accommodation but
also a great chance for you to ask lots
of questions. My home visitor, Avril, was
lovely and gave me a lot of insight to
the local situation. People can self refer
to Refugees at Home but many come
from other charities or organisations.
In Sussex one of the main referrers
is the Sussex Syrian Community.
Because of the colleges and other
education facilities in Brighton it is a
popular destination for refugees who are
trying to improve their English or gain
professional qualifications.
When I signed up I thought I would
only like to host a female guest. My
husband is working away and I have
two young children, the idea of strange
men coming and going did make me
a little nervous. Avril explained to me
that the majority of guests are young
men. They are more likely to make the
arduous journey. They are “normal”
young men but also they are not - they
are industrious, they are determined and
despite what they have been through
they are respectful and positive. They
want to make a future.
You can also state how long you would
like to host for, short term, emergency
placements of a few days; a few weeks
or a few months. Again because of the
children, I didn’t want a high turnover so
I specified the mid-term. Obviously it is
not ideal for the guests to have to keep
moving every few weeks but the charity
leave it fully for you to say when you
need your guests to leave. As I’ve said,
in Sussex, a lot of the guests are here
for education so the charity are short of
hosts for longer term placements.
After about two weeks I received a
phone call from the Refugees at Home
administrator. There were two possible
guests. One a 46 year old chef who
had relocated from Oxford and wanted
to get some roots in the area and the
other a 22 year old student who had an
interview at Brighton college. The former
wanted a longer term placement than
the latter, who just wanted a few nights.
Home do not undertake any checks on
the guest the referral agencies usually
have done or have obtained references,
plus if someone has refugee status then
they have passed government checks.
A couple of days later, Nadine from
the Sussex Syrian Community, came
to my house with my potential guest
and his friend. A lot can be told in a
short while and instinctively I could tell
that my guest was a gentle and polite
man. He was friendly with the children
although his English was not fluent.
We agreed that he would move in the
next afternoon. How much you offer
your guest depends on both them and
you. It is expected that you will provide
a private bedroom and access to a
bathroom and the kitchen. I expected to
provide a few meals but shortly after my
guest arrived Ramadan started so he
had to fast until 9.30. In fact I have seen
my guest a lot less than I expected. He
has friends he visits, appointments to
keep and obviously I am at work. He
also has health issues and depression,
is painfully shy and is not used to
being alone with women. Whilst it was
disappointing, at first, that he spent
so much time in his room I spent the
evenings researching a lot of things:
Syria, halal, Ramadan are just a few
of the topics I now know more about.
And my guest has warmed up, he plays
with the children, he mows my lawn, he
has cooked me some delicious Syrian
food. I have helped my guest with a
parking ticket appeal but I almost feel
bad for how little I have had to “help”
but perhaps this is the most perfect
first guest. He is spotlessly tidy and he
leaves the house the same.
I have had the phone calls and emails
from Refugees at Home, Avril and
Nadine and feel like I have been
well supported and able to voice
any concerns. I have been invited to
community events and I look forward
to engaging with the Sussex Syrian
Community in the future.
I have a friend who has just started
hosting in London and I know of other
people who have hosted several times,
all successfully, there are lots of recent
published articles of people’s positive
experiences. After 7 weeks I have just
agreed to extend my guest’s stay for
another 5 and I’m glad I took the leap
of faith.
Although I have only helped one person,
that person has a son, they have family.
Refugees at Home have arranged for
30,000 hosted nights since February
2016, currently there are 130 guests and
a waiting list of more referrals everyday.
There are students, professionals and
even Mothers and parents who need to
be near hospitals where their children
are being treated. The small acts are
amounting to a great big thing.
Not everyone is in a position to host.