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Original poster

Will you be opening your home up to Ukrainian refugees?

999 replies

musicalfrog · 11/03/2022 08:03

Interested to see how popular this will be considering so many of us want desperately to make a tangible difference.

My OH wouldn't be up for it I don't think, and we don't have a spare room so I will avoid that particular argument. But otherwise I think it would be such a great thing to do.

The govt is asking for a minimum commitment of 6 months. Will you be signing up?

OP posts:
guhjof · 11/03/2022 08:16

No. I know I sound selfish and a little shit but no I won't do that - I couldn't live with anyone I didn't know. I would be anxious and paranoid in my own home.

canyon2000 · 11/03/2022 08:17

I don't have a spare room so I can't.

AHungryCaterpillar · 11/03/2022 08:19

No.

Dmsandfloatydress · 11/03/2022 08:21

Yes, we have a spare room and happy to take a woman and under 5 year old. But for the grace of God go I.

yellowcat21 · 11/03/2022 08:21

We are considering it, yes. We have young children though so need to weigh up their needs too. If it were just me and DH then yes definitely.

WhatsWithAllTheCarrots · 11/03/2022 08:22

Yes, we have a spare room and I think we are both on board with it. Slightly nervous for a number of reasons but I would hope someone would open their home to me if the situation was reversed.

Porfre · 11/03/2022 08:23

No

Ledkr · 11/03/2022 08:24

I'm considering it too but not sure how it would work with us being out at work all day. Also the cost of living being so high would have to be considered I think.

yellowcat21 · 11/03/2022 08:24

happy to take a woman and under 5 year old

This is how I feel too, have the government given any information/assurances around this or has it not got to that level of detail? I haven't looked into it properly.

PuzzledObserver · 11/03/2022 08:25

I’m going to talk to DH about it.

We have a spare room and they could have use of family bathroom as we have an en-suite, although it would mean DH couldn’t have the occasional bath he so enjoys.

But it is a big deal to have someone in your house for 6months+ - sharing living room and kitchen. I gather they would have permission to work, but where we are located may not offer many opportunities. Plus it is mainly women and children leaving, isn’t it? The room has a king size bed.

But we will have a conversation about it.

Soubriquet · 11/03/2022 08:25

I would if I had the space and money

But we are barely keeping afloat as it is and we definitely don’t have the room

LadyCatStark · 11/03/2022 08:26

I don’t know, we have a spare room but if we had to provide for them too, we just wouldn’t be able to afford it the way things are.

Clawdy · 11/03/2022 08:26

Our old house had two loft rooms so would definitely have thought about it. Downsized to a smaller house, and sharing small bathroom and kitchen would be difficult. DH would want to, I know, but I don't think I could cope.

museumum · 11/03/2022 08:27

We don’t have a spare room or any separate space that can be made into one so unfortunately no.

DiscoBadgers · 11/03/2022 08:27

No, because DS has autism and complex SEN, and it’s hard enough for us to deal with, let alone a traumatised refugee.

berksandbeyond · 11/03/2022 08:28

No I am afraid not.
We have a spare room (although it is our study) but we have a young child so I wouldn’t be comfortable with a stranger in our home.
I also don’t think it should be required - it shouldn’t be an individual responsibility, when enough people here will be struggling with household costs in the next year.
I would love to support in other ways though, whether than be through donations or by welcoming refugees in our community.

RedWingBoots · 11/03/2022 08:28

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dementedma · 11/03/2022 08:28

No. Small flat with no space so a no go for us

InTheNightWeWillWish · 11/03/2022 08:31

We don’t have a spare room but even if we did, with our current financial situation and household bills we would have to say no. We have the heating very low now, even with a baby in the house but I’m just layering them up. I can’t ask a refugee, who might only have the clothes on their back, to put another jumper on but equally couldn’t afford the heating to be on for them.

Solosunrise · 11/03/2022 08:31

We're considering it. I'm quite introverted, as is DH, so I think we might struggle. But we have a spare room and no other family here now, and really want to help. Just imagining being in the situation that those people are in, and if the boot was on the other foot, I hope someone would help us.

Desert76 · 11/03/2022 08:32

I will be speaking to DH about it, I would like to do it, but we haven't discussed it yet.

We have a small spare room, and could take a single woman, or possibly one with a young child, (but it would be cramped for them.)

I find the idea of living with a stranger very stressful. But I spent a few months staying with a family and teaching English in Ukraine on my gap year, and I would like to repay the hospitality and welcome I received there (sadly I'm not in contact with the actual family who I stayed with.)

Seriouslymole · 11/03/2022 08:32

I have been battling with this, this morning.
Part of us would love to but we also have children and I am not sure it’s fair on them. The language and trauma issues would make it a very hard thing to do.
Plus it is a minimum of 6 months, not a maximum. That is a long time. I am so conflicted about this.

Pamlar · 11/03/2022 08:33

My friend has had a family staying with them from the Ukraine for the last week. It has been tough but as some pps have said: there but for the grace of Gd...
We have a spare room and as the granddaughter of Austrian refugees I would force myself to be hospitable and take people in. But I do not relish the prospect...
We do not live in UK if relevant

Continentalmama · 11/03/2022 08:33

Not in the UK but we've put our details forward in the country we're in. I'm not sure we would be a top choice as we live rurally with not particularly great public transport but I'm a SAHM so could do a fair amount of ferrying around. My biggest concern would be the stretch on finances to cover food/bills increase but I think we could manage it. My other big concerns would be language barrier and trying to access support I'm sure many fleeing refugees would need.

AlternativePerspective · 11/03/2022 08:34

No.

TBH I don’t think it’s realistic. How many people have space for a woman and say 2/3 children? Because for the most part it isn’t going to be only a woman and one child is it? Most people have more than one.

How are people going to manage with the language barrier?

What happens during the day wen people are out at work? Are people genuinely going to be comfortable giving a key to their home to someone they have never laid eyes on until that day?

I suspect that even the people on here who say they will help won’t end up doing so in the end.

When a similar thread was started last year wrt Afghan refugees the answer was almost a unanimous no.

It would be worth revisiting this in 6 months time and seeing how many, if any, people actually followed through and what the outcomes were.