thread for those interested in refugee hosting/sponsorship

[EezyOozy]

I thought I would start a new thread about this as I have just heard on BBC news that they are opening up a web form tomorrow to express interest. Apparently families/households can claim £350 a month (I assume for increased expenses) and refugees will be eligible to claim or benefits and work. We have large a spare room but live rurally so whilst I will express interest I'm not sure we will be taken up on it.

I thought I would start a new thread for those who are interested and to follow the progress of the registration procedure/how this pans out in practice.

Posted here because it's the only place I know gets plenty traffic, I will probably be asking for this to be moved but don't know where to.

Its upsetting but it isn’t mine or my family’s problem to solve

Wow!

@hassletassle as I said I'm glad people are so willing to help! All help is good. Those offering to take people in to their homes are obviously good, kind people. I can absolutely support that and still feel sorry for the other thousands of refugees who are offered very little, who are equally as traumatised and in need of support. I did say in my post I feel this is more down to the way those people are portrayed by the government and newspapers etc. Imagine fleeing your home and arriving in a new country terrified, you are basically left to your own devices then a few months later all you see are people fundraising for another group of people, who are escaping the same thing you are but the government is going all out, people are signing up to invite them into their homes and meanwhile you are still trying to adjust to a new life with your traumatised children in a country that has shown it doesn't care about you. I think everyone should be a little outraged about that tbh.

Was wondering if there is any charity or other scheme that would allow you to sponsor by paying/contributing to rent on a flat or room for a refugee? (Or would that just attract all the dodgy landlords? )

Daisypond you sound amazing

@waterrat

I work with refugees and am very experienced at analysing protection laws and policy. This is a ludicrous scheme.

It is a safeguarding nightmare. And honestly I feel concerned reading about people taking refugees in to teach their children humanity. Please don't do this. These are real people and do not want pity and to be a teachable moment as the yanks sat

Everyone wants lovely orphans and mums with kids. These are normal people witj quirks and needs like you and me they need practical help and space it's not a project for you and your wish to help.

They need city homes ideally where they can find work and school.

Absolutely do not do this for the 350 !

And. Can people imagine if uk Foster children were passed around with no safeguarding like this ?

I wonder why we don't resolve the UK care crisis like this. Because its sensitive complex and difficult.

You have articulated the "gut" reservations I have about this idea, that I couldn't put into words. Interesting to hear this from someone in the field, and yes surely a potential safeguarding disaster. What would be a better option? Making hotels available until people find their feet or can go back home, should they so wish?

@Wimpeyspread

Its upsetting but it isn’t mine or my family’s problem to solve

Wow!

I know - the most I'm all right Jack statement I've seen in a long while .

I understand totally that for most people the opening up of their homes to strangers is , quite rightly, something that is not done lightly and is not something suitable for most, but this dismissal of the unfolding tragedy of this war as ' not my problem' is breathtaking.

The 'meet up in social media' plan is ludicrous. I can't believe it has been suggested by someone employed to tackle this situation.

I am really keen on taking in a small family)a woman with children. We have a decent four bed semi, with 3 teen DC. Eldest ds (v large double room en suite) is away at uni. Back for Easter break and from the end of may (I think we are paid up to end of June for his halls). We have living room, dining room, breakfast kitchen and reasonable outdoor space. We could manage a double bed and extending double sofa bed in ds' room. When he comes home we would need to think of a sleeping solution.

DH is making noises that we would be too crowded and we would all need to agree. I get that everyone needs to be comfortable but I am feel the weight of my teens opinions should be countered by them not having a global perspective on those things. Of course they may prefer it if we had our space to ourselves but 'there but for the grace of God go I'

Is there a minimum amount of room you would have to have to accommodate a refugee family?

Me and DH have a small 2 bed home, (second bedroom 9 X 8 ft in size, so only houses a single bed and a small wardrobe and a tiny bedside table,) and we have one loo.

We are in a tiny village, there is no public transport, no shops, no GP surgery, (shops/dentist/GP surgery/ nearest public transport etc, are all in the small market town 3.5 miles away.) The small town has no train station. Closest train station is in our closest city - 16 miles away.

We don't speak their language, DH works 4 days a week, I work 3 (and I work from home and my job requires a lot of concentration,) and we have one car. (DH does varying/differing shifts, and I don't have the car that often.)

So, it's a definite no from me.

Good luck to those 'housing a Ukrainian family,' and I hope plenty can do this, but we can't.

Why do people feel the need to explain (often in great detail) why they can't host anyone?

There won't be any pressure for you to share your home with refugees so no excuses needed.

@LizDoingTheCanCan

Can you imagine meeting some random on Facebook and offering for them to come stay in your home for six months?

That's how ridiculous this idea is. It's great that people want to help, but in its current state the scheme is unworkable for so many reasons.

That's pretty much how the au pair scheme works though, isn't it? You just meet a stranger on a website and invite them to live as part of your family for 6 or 12 months, and that is very popular.

When we hosted language students, we didn't even meet/talk to them in advance, the language school just assigns them.

We will be looking at the details. We have space and are lucky that we don't need the money ourselves, so we would probably use it to buy things to give a family we hosted - towels, clothing, a uk mobile phone, passes for local transport to help them access services etc. We have young children and would probably aim to offer to someone in a similar position as it would maximise our ability to help by offering spare children's clothes and toys etc.

[quote forinborin]Just a video shared with me today that I liked, and even cried. Wanted to add a humane dimension to this discussion, not just about benefits / stranger danger / cultural conflicts.

[/quote]

@LottyD32

Why are people so hung up on transport links and how far the bus stop is?

Where do you think these people will be going?

They will be traumatised and want to regroup and see how things unfold over the next six months.

I doubt they will be up and commuting their 2nd month in. Aside from that, what are all these jobs they'll be going to? There's hardly enough p/t, flexible, short term jobs for people as it is.

It would be very hard to move to a new country and be isolated in a village you can't get out of.

Stuck in a spare room in an unfamiliar house.

Unable to go to a language class.

Unable to find a job.

Unable to meet up with friends and family.

@TebayOrNotTebay

Was wondering if there is any charity or other scheme that would allow you to sponsor by paying/contributing to rent on a flat or room for a refugee? (Or would that just attract all the dodgy landlords? )

Daisypond you sound amazing

I was wondering the same. We could afford to fund a small flat or terraced house for a year and would also offer support and friendship. I would prefer that to having someone in my home space being totally honest.

@TeloMere

Why do people feel the need to explain (often in great detail) why they can't host anyone?

There won't be any pressure for you to share your home with refugees so no excuses needed.

Right? Its really bloody annoying to read post after post of people saying why they aren't going to. This is not what this thread was started for.

We are going to put ourselves forward for it but we may not be seen to be in a useful location for it (and yes, we have thought about the downsides and know it might not be a lot of fun, so people can stop making those comments too)

We have two spare rooms, one with en-suite and could probably arrange a sitting room. I am happy to offer to anyone who needs somewhere to live. When I think about how my grandmother took evacuees in the war and also how a friend of mine was an evacuee I feel we need to do our bit in these difficult times.

@Halllyup17

No way. I don't have a spare room anyway so can't realistically even consider it, but I'm astounded at the number of people who are willingly wanting to open up their homes to traumatised individuals who don't speak the same language. It's asking for trouble.

I'm happy to donate money or items of whatever is needed in that respect, but to offer my home is a step too far for me.

Maybe it’s because if you were in the situation of a refugee, would you want help?

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think life is a movie but I do understand why people want to help. Most of the Ukrainian refugees are women and children, it’s totally understandable that many people on this site feel they need to do something.

Maybe it’s because if you were in the situation of a refugee, would you want help?

This. I imagine what would happen if it were me & my 2 DC, desperate for help.

DH grandfather was a Polish Jew who lost everything in the war and rebuilt his life in the UK. These are ordinary people. They have left their homes with nothing, their country has been invaded. We cannot offer them a perfect solution but we will offer what help we can.

I think it's brilliant so many people are keen to sign up to host

I feel really awful that I don’t have any spare space, but I really don’t.

What I’m trying to do is to find out how to volunteer to sort donations or something but it seems impossible to find.

Regarding the issue with school places, the Secretary of State said that the online lessons used over lockdown had been translated. Presumably that means that not all schools will have places? Didn’t see him say anything about computers or WiFi though?

I thought some people might be interested in this story of a single woman who had a Syrian refugee move in with her www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/09/my-syrian-refugee-lodger-helen-pidd

We don't have a spare room currently but I would certainly consider it when one of the kids leaves.

I am interested in doing this. I have a rental house which I could offer. Only one bedroom but would be fine for two people. Issue is 1. It's near a town but actuator in the countryside so transport links are poor 2. I wouldn't be able to cook for them and 3. Whilst happy to do it for six months I am worried about people refusing to leave if and when I need them to. Happy for six months but not sure I can do it for longer. I was also considering doing it through Airbnb but I can't see how they offer funding and whilst I have no interest in making a profit I would need fuel covered

@DenholmElliot you would t lose your council tax because effectively you are hosting for free ie you are not charging them rent