Residents of Dulwich and Bermondsey have talked about what it is like to open their homes to a stranger, amid ‘urgent’ calls for more refugee hosts.
Refugees at Home is a London-based charity that connects people with a spare room to refugees and asylum seekers in desperate need of somewhere to stay.
Tiffany Cole, Volunteer and Engagement Manager at the charity, explained: “When someone comes to the UK and claims asylum they are put in hotels by the government.”
There are many reasons people have to flee their country including war and fear of persecution for their religion or nationality. Whilst every case is different, many wait around eighteen months to find out if they have been granted refugee status or not.
During that time they are not allowed to work or claim benefits.
If they get their refugee status, they have 28 days to leave the hotel, find a job, and somewhere to live.
Tiffany explained: “This can be stressful for them and often it’s not long enough – so we match them with hosts to help them with the transition.”
Alex, 31, is an emergency host meaning she could get a call at any moment asking her to take in a refugee for a couple of days.
Having hosted many guests from nations including Ethiopia, Afghanistan and Iraq, in her Bermondsey home – she steps in when local authorities don’t have temporary accommodation for them.
Alex – who has been a host for four years now – said she joined wanting to make a “tangible difference” to people’s lives.
“Every single person has been an absolute pleasure and a joy to host,” she said, adding that she always has clean sheets and toothbrushes ready to go.
Some guests open up to her about their experiences and, while she never probes, she says she’s happy to be a ‘listening ear.’
“[I’ve heard] some of the most horrific war stories you could ever imagine; of watching loved ones and friends die in front of them – a level of trauma it’s very difficult for us to grasp and understand,” she said.
Food has been an important point of connection with her guests, who often long for their national dishes.
When she welcomed her first guest, an Ethiopian man in his thirties, to a local restaurant serving his favourite dish of Injera.
Then there was a young man from Afghanistan who was ‘super excited’ to cook her pulao – a one-pot rice and vegetable dish.
“Sharing a meal can be a very nice healing experience you don’t even have to talk you can connect through food,” she said.
Beth Watkins, who lives in Dulwich, hosted for the first time last Christmas.
She and her husband have a 4-year-old son, which she said inspired them to want to do it: “Even though he’s still very young we wanted to show him the importance of being caring to people in the community,” she said.
Soon after signing up, they got the call – a 25-year-old man called Adam, from Sudan needed somewhere to stay: “He was keen to stay with a family to practice his English.
At first, Beth said it was scary. “This was totally new to us,” she continued, “and you know – you’re giving them a house key.
“But Adam was so kind-hearted.
“He also made a huge effort with our son, he was always playing with him – teaching him how to play dominoes.”
For a month, Adam stayed with the family. “We made sure to do things together and we helped him with anything he needed.”
“It was lucky that our neighbours and people in the area were so supportive and they invited us all around.”
Now that Adam has moved on to another host, she said they’ll ‘definitely’ keep in touch, adding: “This was a positive experience for all of us and the charity was very supportive.”
There are currently over 750 hosts in London who are prepared to offer their spare rooms to refugees. But Tiffany said they urgently need more hosts.
All refugees referred to Refugees at Home are professionally assessed and then matched with suitable hosts who provide a bed, access to the kitchen and bathroom, and a welcoming smile. Hosts are supported along the way by the Refugees at Home team.
If you have a spare room – or even a sofa bed – and would like to find out more, visit www.refugeesathome.org