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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:
HereComesSpringAgain · 11/03/2022 08:54

Well not incentives.

busyeatingbiscuits · 11/03/2022 08:54

We unfortunately don't have room anymore, but in the past have had people stay (language students, couch surfers, au pairs).

Having people stay worked fine with our children, everyone who stayed was friendly, polite, clean and appreciative. Our children got to meet people from other countries and we learned a bit about what life (and food!) was like in France, Czech, Hungary, Italy, Australia. It was a totally positive experience.
I also know of people more recently who have hosted refugees from African and the middle east and have had positive experiences.

If we had a spare room, or didn't already have children sharing rooms, we would definitely do it.

Wintersbone · 11/03/2022 08:55

Yes we will because we have the space and the resources. We will only take a woman with children younger than my youngest. Or any woman really.

yawnnnnn · 11/03/2022 08:56

Yes without a doubt

RedWingBoots · 11/03/2022 08:57

@purpleboy firstly why shouldn't I bring up racism when it is a big issue for refugees and those fleeing war zones?

Secondly you made a mistake in your assumption about my family, which is why I chose my words carefully.

Flyonawalk · 11/03/2022 08:57

Yes and have already offered.

No judgement where someone can’t offer.

Firstshoes · 11/03/2022 08:59

Now the weather is getting a bit warmer it would be nice if holiday parks offered up an amount of their caravans for this. We have lots of large caravan parks nearby.

MindTheGapMoveAlong · 11/03/2022 08:59

We’re having the conversation now. In principle,yes. Just need to think about the logistics.
@RedWingBoots don’t try to derail the thread please. You don’t know any one’s circumstances. It’s been my experience that most people are tribal in the sense that they find it easier to accept others with shared cultural backgrounds. Anyone who helps is anyone in these or similar circumstances is to be applauded not criticised for your perception of their motives or character.Recrntly I’ve helped, but not accommodated some Syrian familiar; now I’m looking at hosting a Ukrainian one. My decisions are dictated by my own family’s circumstances. Now they’ve changed so I’m able to host when I couldn’t before. I know people of every faith and none, & from lots of different backgrounds who’ve helped people of every faith and none, & from lots of different backgrounds. What have you done?
BTW

Norgie · 11/03/2022 08:59

Yes. I have three spare bedrooms so no issues with space.
The more, the merrier.

TheHorrorOfIt · 11/03/2022 09:00

@Citabell

It’s going to be a difficult conversation with my 16yo DD I think, but hopefully she’ll get it

Have you not spoken to her about it? I can understand with younger children but wow!

No, I haven’t. I read about the decision to allow ordinary people to register in the paper this morning and she had already left for the school bus by the time DH and I discussed it.

We’ve talked about this sort of thing in principle before but not specifically Ukraine and not for a while. I know her quite well (with her being my daughter) and can predict that she’ll have an initial grump about giving up what would have been her TV room but then give herself an internal talking to and realise why it’s needed. She’s clever like that and a very compassionate girl at heart, but the teenage frame of mind does often get in the way and I’m not looking forward to getting over that hurdle but I also realise why it’s needed…

MsFernBotanical · 11/03/2022 09:01

Not necessarily exclusively anyone from Ukraine, but I am currently working through the process of offering my spare room to a young person through a local organisation.

I'm a single parent with a spare room, I can afford to feed another person. Some kids end up in awful situations through no fault of their own, like the young girl I know of. Her mum left the country to live with her boyfriend in Spain when the girl was 16, leaving her completely to her own devices earlier this year.

A friend of a friend took her in, at that point she had no prospect of a home/continuing her education/improving her life prospects.

I wouldn't do anything that negatively affected my own DC but I'd take someone in to help them get on their feet if I could.

PuzzledObserver · 11/03/2022 09:02

Just had a look at the Sanctuary Foundation website. The emphasis there is on helping people find self-contained accommodation which would be affordable for people on benefits, rather than putting them up in your spare room.

AHungryCaterpillar · 11/03/2022 09:03

@AlternativePerspective

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.

I agree, I don’t believe the amount of people saying yes tbh, so you’re happy to leave a stranger in your home? No chance.
Kendodd · 11/03/2022 09:03

@RedWingBoots
I don't dispute for a second that racism exists or runs deep but I remember loads of similar threads about Syria and Afghanistan. Loads of discussion about how best to help or offer accommodation to refugees. There were stone throwers on those threads as well, accusing posters of only caring about brown skined people and not giving a shit about homeless people just because they were white. The fact you didn't see all those threads rather raises the question of why not? Did you just scroll past them all because they were of no interest to you? Where were you then? In fairness to you, you might not have been on MN then.

Wonnle · 11/03/2022 09:04

Not a hope in hell !

How about getting homes for the 1000's of homeless we already have on the streets

mistermagpie · 11/03/2022 09:05

We have 5 people in a three bedroom house already, so no.

I think my in laws would though, they are just the two of them in a massive 5 bedroom house and have had random people who needed help to stay with them before.

worriedatthistime · 11/03/2022 09:06

No as have no spare rooms but even if i did i wouldn't be comfortable having a stranger in the house of was a friend of a friend maybe
But it I had a house with an annexe or a second holiday home then yes I would be happy to help then, imagine if all those kind of people helped would be plenty
But rightly or wrongly I think many will help women/ children but not men so easily

Wbeezer · 11/03/2022 09:07

We live in a rural village with minimal public transport, so no, also my adult son who lives with us has very bad social anxiety and would probably not come out of his room!

AdamRyan · 11/03/2022 09:07

I want to. Just waiting to have the conversation with my children

SusieMyersonAndAssociates · 11/03/2022 09:09

Yes. We don’t have a spare room but we do have a sofa bed and a 2nd bathroom and if it’s needed, I’d be happy to offer it. Financially it’d be hard but I’d make it work and I know the support network around us would help support us to support them.

I just couldn’t not do something. One day it could be me and my family.

worriedatthistime · 11/03/2022 09:09

@Citabell I think they mean about the room not the whole situation

Crunchymum · 11/03/2022 09:10

We're overcrowded as it is. I am commiting the cardinal MN sin of having children share a room. So no we can't.

Due to out lack of space I haven't really looked into it but I'd imagine people with second properties / holiday lets could be in a position to make a real difference.

We have been and will continue to help in any way we can but offering out a room won't be viable.

Fizbosshoes · 11/03/2022 09:10

I'm not sure. My tween/teen are at home alone for a few hours between school ending and us getting in from work. I don't know if I (or they) would feel comfortable having a stranger in the house with them. But I know that is quite selfish and distrustful.

Now the weather is getting a bit warmer it would be nice if holiday parks offered up an amount of their caravans for this. We have lots of large caravan parks nearby.

6 months covers peak periods of Easter, May half term and Jubilee weekend and the summer holidays. I imagine many would already be fully booked, but I'm not sure many businesses would be able to afford to give up that chunk of income (even if the government pays an expenses fee its not going to be the same as market rate for a caravan I'm school holidays)

Waxonwaxoff0 · 11/03/2022 09:10

@Wonnle

Not a hope in hell !

How about getting homes for the 1000's of homeless we already have on the streets

Hmm do you understand that there are many complexities involved with street homeless people that can't always be solved by just giving them a home?
Redlocks28 · 11/03/2022 09:11

No spare bedroom here, so I don’t see how we could. I worry that to get anywhere, they’d need a car here as well.

Are the government giving people any money to help with food/bills/travel/clothes or are families who volunteer expected to pay for everything? I’m presuming women with young children won’t be expected to work unless the host family provides childcare?