Hundreds of Brits offer to host Afghan refugees – here’s how you can do the same

Hundreds of Brits have offered to host Afghan refugees in their homes since the government started evacuation flights after the fall of Kabul.

An estimated 10,000 Afghans are expected to be resettled in the UK this year, through a government scheme to help those who worked for UK institutions like the army, and through another supporting vulnerable people. The UK has announced plans to accept 20,000 Afghan refugees over the long term.

While there is still uncertainty over where they will be housed, ordinary citizens are stepping up to offer their support.

This is how you can do the same:

Rooms for Refugees

Around 1,000 people have signed up to be hosts with Rooms for Refugees, which is a 19-year-old Glasgow-based community housing network with 10,000 hosts on its books across the UK.

You can sign-up to be a host with the organisation here.

Refugees at Home

Refugees at Home also connects refugees with people with spare rooms. 824 people have so far offered support to Afghans in this way in the last two weeks.

Here’s a link to their website.

Airbnb

Airbnb announced this week that it will help house up to 20,000 Afghan refugees by coordinating with hosts who are willing to offer free or discounted accommodation. The company and its charitable arm will foot the bill so hosts are not out of pocket.

Founder and CEO Brian Chesky said: “The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the US and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. We feel a responsibility to step up. I hope this inspires other business leaders to do the same. There’s no time to waste.”

There are also a number of refugee supporting charities that people can donate to if they do not have the capacity to host refugees instead. Meanwhile, if you have airline miles you can donate them to those who are legal approved to travel and mitigate the fees for the flights.

The UK government has said in a statement that it will “work with stakeholders, including devolved administrations and local councils, to ensure that Afghans who will be rebuilding their lives in the UK have the support they need”.