“As Christians, we believe in sharing what we have with those in need and offering a welcome.”
Refugees at Home host, Mother Rachel Summers, has been hosting for over 10 years.
Hosting comes out of our deeply held beliefs, not just our faith but also our beliefs about humans and how we should live as decent people.
We have had almost two dozen people through our doors, some for just a weekend, some for almost a year. We have hosted guests from Sudan, Eritrea, Chad, Iran, Nigeria, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. It has been a brilliant experience hosting alongside bringing up our five children. They have danced to music from round the world, learned a smattering of different languages, given English lessons, learned to share their kitchen and tested people to see if they like Marmite!
Some people have expressed surprise that we are happy to host young men in our home, particularly with our young children. We have never found this to be an issue. Our guests have been polite, tidy and helpful. Refugees at Home take referrals from organisations who have already taken the time to get to know the potential guest, and so we have felt happy that we wouldn’t be asked to take anyone who would not fit in with our family.
Hosting has been so good for my children, for all of us, to really see that what we have in common across the world is far bigger than that which divides us.
Refugees at Home is the UK’s largest independent hosting charity, matching people with a spare room to refugees and people seeking asylum in need of a temporary place to stay. They are working towards a future where nobody coming to the UK seeking safety ends up sleeping on the streets. Since 2016, they’ve placed nearly 8,000 guests with their community of hosts and are looking for more volunteers to join them. Hosting is only ever temporary; it can last anywhere from a few days to several months.
Feeling inspired? Visit refugeesathome.org.uk to find out more or request a callback from a member of their team.