Get involved with Welcome Homes
At Welcome Churches, we believe that every person deserves to have a place that they can call home. As we speak, thousands of refugees are being forced into temporary accommodation because of the lack of available housing. We believe the Church has a fundamental responsibility to welcome those seeking refuge into our communities with genuine compassion and generosity. The current housing issues, combined with our belief that the Church has an important role to play in this issue, have led us to start something new - Welcome Homes.
Welcome Homes will inspire and equip Christians around the UK to welcome refugees in a specific way: through an offer of housing or an offer of hosting. We were deeply moved by the outpouring of support for the Housing for Ukraine Scheme and hope to continue that spirit of hospitality with Welcome Homes. We are hoping Welcome Homes will assist in growing and sustaining a culture of personal, compassionate hospitality towards refugees.
On top of the lack of social housing, rising rental prices have made destitution and homelessness a real danger for many refugees. If stable accommodation isn’t available it is very difficult to fully settle in a community, never mind to feel a sense of belonging. The need is great, but so is the opportunity for the Church to play a role.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40
We have designed the Welcome Homes project with two distinct ideas in mind which we believe will greatly assist in helping refugees and those seeking asylum to avoid homelessness.
We are looking for hosts who are willing to offer a space in their homes to refugees and those seeking asylum as a short-term solution that prevents homelessness.
We are looking for landlords who will offer affordable (at LHA rates) long-term housing to refugees that will provide them with the safety and stability they need to settle into a community.
This sounds great, how can I (or my church) get involved?
To meet these needs, Welcome Homes has two elements through which churches and individuals can get involved:
Hosting: We have created an online platform to connect people with a local hosting programme. There are many excellent programmes across the country through which people host refugees in their own homes. In partnership with NACCOM (The No Accommodation Network), Welcome Homes will connect you with a hosting scheme based on what you are able to offer and the current need in your area.
Housing: Welcome Homes includes a service to connect landlords with refugee tenants. We hope to inspire socially-minded landlords to offer their property at Local Housing Allowance rates and connect them with suitable refugee tenants. Welcome Homes will offer support through the tenancy set-up period for both landlords and tenants.
Our goal with the Welcome Homes programme is to create a space where hosts, landlords and churches can access resources, training and support that will significantly reduce the possibility of homelessness for refugees and those seeking asylum and ultimately help them towards a more settled housing situation, which in turn will contribute towards their integration and feeling at home in the community.
Get involved by signing up for our launch event on the 31st of January 2023