‘They’ve become like family’
Nina Kaye, 69, is retired and lives with husband Timothy in Surrey. She says, “In autumn 2015, the Syrian refugee crisis was dominating the news. People were fleeing from the war-torn country in desperate need of help. My husband Timothy suggested that we offer our spare rooms and I thought it was a great idea, as our two sons had moved out and we had the space.
“However, we couldn’t find an organisation to help – so we set up one ourselves. In February 2016, we officially launched Refugees At Home – a charity that connects refugees and asylum seekers to registered hosts. We became the first and welcomed 27-year-old Ahmed from Syria. When he arrived, he was as apprehensive as we were, but we invited him to join us for dinner and, by the end of the evening, we’d become great friends. Ahmed, who’d studied English literature, had fled the conflict in Syria, surviving a 3,000-mile journey made on foot, dinghy, plane and in the back of a lorry. His story was truly harrowing, but simply by offering our spare room, we’d given Ahmed a lifeline and, during his five-month stay, he was able to arrange for his wife and two children, aged two and six months, to come to England on the family reunification scheme.
“It was an absolute pleasure hosting Ahmed and since then, his situation has gone from strength to strength. After gaining an MSc degree in Violence, Conflict and Development, he landed a job for the International Organisation of Migration.
“We see them regularly – they’ve become like family. In fact, we are great friends with many of our previous guests. They’ve come from all walks of life, including musicians, a neurosurgeon and a graphic designer. Although we’re no longer directly involved with the running of the charity, we’re still active hosts and have had about 35 guests in total. Most speak English, so communicating has been fine.
“The charity supports the hosts through the whole process and carefully matches them with guests who fit their criteria. If you don’t feel comfortable with a guest for any reason or simply change your mind, the charity immediately places them somewhere else. It’s always up to the host how long guests stay, but most of the time, the guests settle in so well, they stay longer. We’ve never asked for any expenses back, but Refugees At Home would give an allowance for extra food.
“I often get asked how I can take a complete stranger into my house, but I say,
‘Why not – I’ve got the space.’ Hosting has been such an incredibly rewarding experience. When people open their hearts and their doors, amazing things can happen and I have no doubt that, if the tables turned, they’d be looking after us.”