Application process
I cannot praise Refugees at Home highly enough. The home visitor was very thorough, the guests we hosted were a good match. We and our guests all received attentive support and advice throughout the process.
Hosting is a big step and will involve everyone in your household, so it’s vital you discuss this with everyone. Here, we’ve provided information so that you can do so
The information on this page applies to all hosts. If you are hosting through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, please also read our dedicated page here.
There is a link to our host application form at the bottom of this page. Once you have submitted your form, a member of our team will contact you to arrange the next steps; this may be to ask a few further questions, answer any queries you have at this stage and to connect you with one of our Home Visitors to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet with you either in person or online.
If there are multiple family members in the home and one person is obviously very keen and steering it, you might get a hint that another person is more hesitant, and I can’t ignore that because they’re also going to be part of this placement. For it to be a success, everyone needs to get on board.
The home visit
The home visit is an important part of hosting with us. It’s a chance for you to ask questions and talk through the practicalities of hosting, and for us to know more about who you are willing to host and the accommodation you can offer.
You can find out more about the home visit in our interview, ‘The home visit – what to expect’, with one of our experienced volunteers.
References
After the home visit we will contact your referees to provide a character reference for you. Once we have these, and have fully reviewed your application, you will be approved as a host. If you can let your referees know in advance that we will be in touch, this can help speed up the process.
What happens next
Before we make a placement, we will ask you to sign in to our portal. This is used to share details about guests with hosts, and provide a way in which you can keep your details and host preferences up to date. We will send you an invitation to join the portal and you can find out how to access this in our portal information sheet.
Our Placement Team will be notified that you are a new host with us. They are responsible for making the match between guest and host and they will be approaching you with appropriate guests based on what you’ve told us.
It’s hard to say how long this will take; it will depend on your location, hosting preference and the needs of our guests but you can contact us at any time to let us know your availability.
Making a placement
Once we have fully assessed a guest, we will begin to look for a host. We match the guest’s preferred location and needs against your availability and preferences as a host. Location and access to support and networks is often the most important aspect of hosting to a guest so we begin with this. We keep in mind the nature of the host’s household and who they would like to host and for how long, and we also have some rules we follow, for example, we never place a single female guest in a male-only household.
If we think you could be a suitable match for a guest, our placement team will contact you with some background information about them, when hosting is needed and for what duration. If you are available and comfortable to proceed, we will then share more information about the guest. We recommend that you talk to everyone in your household about the potential guest. If you would like to know more information at any stage, just ask your Placement Coordinator.
