Host a refugee in your home

What is hosting?

For many years, NACCOM members across the UK have been operating hosting schemes that provide an essential pathway out of destitution and homelessness for people in the asylum and immigration system.

Hosting is simply where someone offers a private room and access to shared facilities in their own home to a person or persons in need, free of charge. As well as giving those fleeing war, conflict and persecution a safe, temporary home, hosting can provide vital stability to enable guests to resolve their immigration status and move forward with their lives.

Hosting can be a rewarding experience for both hosts and guests when the right time, support and consideration has been given to facilitating a positive and safe hosting arrangement.

It is important to note that hosting is not for everyone, and each project will have its own assessment criteria, including geographical reach and the project’s current capacity to support both you as a host and any prospective guest placed with you.

NACCOM also offers a range of ‘good practice’ resources and guidance, developed by NACCOM in consultation with our members, to ensure that individuals and organisations that are considering, or are involved in, hosting can make an informed decision and can participate in hosting safely and with the right support.

National Hosting Projects

Some NACCOM members run national hosting projects and recruit hosts across the UK. There are also a number of smaller local projects running their own schemes or in partnership with national charities.

Refugees at Home  is a national charity. At present they are only accepting host applications from people living in large metropolitan towns, districts and cities.

Hope at Home  is a national hosting scheme specifically for survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking. They are currently looking for hosts in London, Surrey, Essex, Kent, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield.

Interested in hosting?

If hosting is something you would like to consider,  please fill out the below enquiry form and we will connect you with a hosting project in our membership network, based on current need and your location in the UK.

In relation to this it is important to note that NACCOM member projects do not make placements based on any stated preference the host has regarding the nationality of their guest.

Hosting projects exist to serve all who find themselves facing homelessness and destitution during the asylum process, whatever their background or nationality, and places are allocated based on need above all else.

How our form works

Please note that NACCOM does not run a hosting scheme. We will share the information you provide* via the enquiry form with relevant hosting projects in our network (local or national members), who will then have the option of making direct contact with you to discuss in more detail their hosting project, their current needs and if appropriate take you through their own recruitment process.

(*Please also note that your data will be shared only for this purpose and NACCOM will keep your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.  NACCOM will only hold your data for six months to facilitate any questions from you about your original hosting enquiry. We will require members in our network to confirm that they will only contact you to discuss your hosting enquiry and will not use your data for any other purpose or keep your data should they not contact you to discuss hosting.)

If you would still like to register your interest in hosting but would not be comfortable for your information to be shared in this way, please email us at [email protected].

The war in Ukraine

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, NACCOM and our members have seen a significant increase in the number of people interested in hosting refugees in their home.

Please note that NACCOM members primarily host people already in the UK asylum and immigration system who are experiencing destitution and homelessness. If you are interested in hosting as part of the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, please visit their official website for more information, as well as Reset’s matching service, which helps to safely match Ukrainian refugees with households in the UK. (NACCOM’s full statement on the Homes for Ukraine scheme can be found here).

If you are open to hosting someone who is experiencing destitution and homelessness in the asylum or immigration system, then please complete the enquiry form below and we will forward your contact details to a NACCOM member in your area. Around 3,000 people each year face homelessness and destitution because of their immigration status – there is a growing need for hosts who can provide safe, stable, temporary homes to support and enable people to rebuild their lives and move on from destitution and homelessness. More information on hosting can be found in our Hosting Resources section.

Please also note that NACCOM itself does not run a hosting scheme – we work with our members across the UK to direct prospective hosts to projects in their area, or a national hosting scheme, as appropriate.

NACCOM member organisations do not make placements based on any stated preference the host has regarding the nationality of their guest. If your preference is to host someone from Ukraine, then unfortunately we won’t be able to pass your enquiry on.

Due to the overwhelming interest in hosting, you may not receive a reply from our members immediately – please be patient and they will get in touch as soon as they can. Thank you for your interest in hosting and your support.