More Than A Room | How Host Derby Changes the Lives of Refugees Through Emergency Accommodation | Part 2

In the second of our 3-part blog series focusing on Host Derby, Einir (Head of Delivery) shares about the long-term impacts of the scheme on both Guests and Hosts.

As human beings, we crave belonging and community.

If you’ve ever moved city, cast your mind back to how you felt. It’s highly likely that you didn’t know where to start! You didn’t know where anything was.

But it’s also very likely that you could still depend on home, as home was probably not more than a stone’s throw away.

“Home for people seeking refuge is a completely different continent,” Einir says, “potentially a warzone. It’s pointless connection in terms of being able to resettle in the UK.

But Upbeat, and Host Derby, provides an opportunity for people to build those connections. And for Hosts to feel like they're giving more than a room.

Often, our amazing Hosts really care about their Guest as a person, and they want to be committed. They want to always be asking, “What can we do to help?”

That can be quite overwhelming for the Guest, at the beginning. But they usually settle very quickly. In fact, Hosts end up getting to know Guests far better than we do as Upbeat staff.”

Once a Host Derby placement ends, Upbeat Communities’ hosting team has no further expectation of Hosts — other than the hope that they will host again!

But, incredibly, many Host Derby hosts choose to take on responsibility beyond this; not because they’re expected to, but because they want to.

“For many Hosts, when a Guest moves out it’s as though their teenager is leaving home!

They’re thinking, ‘Why wouldn’t we shove everything in the back of the car and help this person move to their new place?’

It’s hard to have someone live in your home, share life with you, and then say goodbye and cut off all relationship.”

Gillian, a Host Derby host, shared her experiences hosting.

“One of the highlights was when a guest who’d had a really bad knee problem for about 3 years, he had his operation, and suddenly he could walk again. And he was running up and down our garden saying, ‘I run! I run!’

And it was so lovely. He was so happy to be able to be able to walk properly again. That was really a big highlight.

Another one was a young man, it was time for him to move on – he had friends to move on to – he gave my husband a really big hug! And we just felt so accepted. So that was really nice as well, to feel it’s a two-way thing.”

Watch Gillian’s story below:

We’re recruiting for more Hosts to join us as we combat refugee homelessness in Derby. If you’d like to find out more, come along to our Hosting Information Evening on Zoom — Monday 12th February at 7pm. Let us know you’re coming by emailing hosting@upbeatcommunities.org.