This year, for Refugee Week, we asked some of our volunteers, staff, and the people we work with to talk about some of the things that “home” can mean. How can refugees escaping war and persecution start to feel at home in a new country?
Charuni (pictured above) is from Sri Lanka and is living in asylum accommodation. “I’m still in the hotel with my family,” she says. Volunteering has helped her to find her feet. “I’m beginning to feel at home here. We were running from here to there, and my kids were suffering because of that. Right now at least we are all together, after a long, long time. I volunteer in the hotel, I help sort clothes and give them out. I also help with craft activities. It gives us a chance to open up.”
Joe works with young people in the asylum system.
Joe works with young refugees. “The young people we work with, they deserve a home,” he says. “Many of the young people we work with don’t feel they belong, don’t have their rights, or don’t understand what their rights should be. They can’t dream without a home, they don’t have that stability.”
“We work with unaccompanied children, under 18, whose dreams have been shattered, who have been uprooted because of conflict,” Joe explains. “Their families might have lost their lives, some of our young people have survived torture, enslavement, trafficking, crossing the Mediterranean Sea. They are a group of young people who have seen the worst of humanity. So it’s a task for the whole community, to help them recover, and to build the citizens of the future.”
Din also works with young people in the asylum system. “It’s very satisfying, you see the changes, you see the difference you’re making. Every day is a new day and a busy day,” he says.
Almost all of them are separated children. We can’t replace the feeling of being with their parents.
“Almost all of them are separated children. We can’t replace the feeling of being with their parents. But we’re providing them with a safe space that they can come to, and find people from their own communities, and where we listen to the things they need. “
“Home is not just home – it’s so many other things as well. We provide a space to at least feel safe and they can make theirs – young people tell us actually, they feel like they’re at home, in some way, and that’s amazing.”
Nemat likes the feeling of safety here, but misses home too.
Nemat is attending a craft group, making a display for refugee week. “They asked us to think of something that means home for us. I thought I’d do a hand – it’s the helping hand that I got here in the UK. Although I’m happy here, I miss home, so I wrote in Arabic – ‘Sudan, you are dear to me, my homeland.’
“We were foreigners who came to a new country. What we like most here is the safety that we feel here in the UK.”
Ali is from Yemen, and volunteers as an interpreter.
Ali is volunteering to help interpret for others in the asylum system. “Home for me is the place where you feel safe. I hope for peace in the world. I’m from Yemen,” he says.
Another aspect of home is the desperate issue of finding a secure place to sleep. Because of current rules – which give newly recognised refugees a very short time to find a place to stay – many people we work with are forced into homelessness. We spoke to another volunteer, also called Ali, who supports people who are struggling with accommodation.
“I’m a volunteer with the Private Rented Scheme. I help refugees find housing,” he says. “Home is not just inside your walls, it’s about where you feel you belong. For a refugee, home is in the past. What we’re helping them to find is safety, and stability.” Via this scheme, landlords can rent a room to a refugee, and also get support with all the paperwork, as well as help with finding the right tenant and making sure the rent gets paid on time.
These are just some of the practical ways that our staff and volunteers help refugees to rebuild their own lives and start to feel more at home in the UK. From offering advice to those in asylum hotels, to helping young people get support, or advising on the struggle to find housing – every step on this journey can make a big difference.
Our work, and your support, sends a message to refugees seeking safety in this country – and however long you have lived here, please join us in saying: “welcome home.”
