Refugees at Home

07/10/2026

We’re delighted that our Home Between Homes exhibition is now on display at Wakefield Cathedral ❤️

The exhibition features 18 of Eve Milner ARPS Photographer's portraits of our hosts taken in their homes, accompanied by stories of their experiences and motivations.

As a District of Sanctuary, Wakefield has long been a welcoming place for those arriving in the UK, and we’re proud to count the Bishop of Wakefield, Malcolm Chamberlain, as one of our amazing hosts.

The exhibition will be on display at Wakefield Cathedral until Sunday. A huge thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund, whose support helped make this happen.

01/10/2026

“In this sometimes uncertain path, I've discovered what home means. A place of comfort, love, security, a place where the soul rests in complete freedom.”

Today is National Poetry Day, a UK-wide celebration of the power of spoken verse, and to mark it we’re sharing ‘Home’, our former guest Ismael’s moving recitation of his beautiful poem about separation, uncertainty and refuge

Originally from Cameroon, Ismael was awarded a Sanctuary Scholarship to pursue his passion and study drama at the University of Kent. During this time, he stayed with two of our hosts in the area whose homes provided a safe, welcoming space for Ismael to focus on his studies.

🎥 Footage courtesy of University of Kent

01/10/2026

If you become our supporter on easyfundraising, you'll raise free funds for Refugees at Home simply by shopping online. And if you join by Sunday, you can help Refugees at Home WIN a £250 donation prize in easyfundraising's giveaway!

Refugees at Home will get a FREE entry each time a new supporter signs up!

It only takes a moment and it's completely free, so please get involved if you haven't already - this would really boost our fundraising: https://join.easyfundraising.org.uk/refugeesathome/XWB070/s2s/E7OVWoL0/PMC01/facebook/

28/09/2026

"When people open the door, sometimes they don't understand how important it is that they are helping."

When Olena’s apartment in Luhansk was bombed, she decided to flee Ukraine and seek safety with her young son.

After applying through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, we were able to match Olena with Amanda, one of our hosts in Devon.

As well as giving Olena and her son a much-needed period of calm and stability, Amanda says that hosting has been a valuable experience for her and her two children:“For us as a family, it has brought us closer. It's made us think about others and made us reflect on our own privilege, which has been helpful in raising children for them to find some appreciation in what they have."

Read the BBC’s interview with Amanda and Olena about their time together, and the benefits opening your home can have for everyone involved.

Olena Mikheionok, who is now settled in Devon, talks about fleeing the war with her son.

24/09/2026

Next month, Lily is running her first ever 10k to raise money for Refugees at Home.

Lily, whose family have hosted with us for several years, has been training since the start of the year and on October 11th she's taking on the Hampton Court Running Festival 10k.

She said: “I’m the most unsporty person ever – I wouldn’t even run for the train - so this is going to be tough. I started the year doing couch to 5k and have been training since. I think knowing I’ll never have to run 10k again will help get me to the finish line!

“I think a lot of the stigma around being a refugee or asylum seeker is just so hostile. Having been friends with a lot of our guests over the years and seeing them come out of this really challenging time and go on to get a job, graduate from university and start a family – living really wonderful lives - I think the work that Refugees at Home does is a huge part of getting them there.

“Hosting has always been an amazing experience. It’s something practical that people can do to support those who are going through the most challenging chapter of their lives. Just to be able to provide something very basic like shelter is a huge honour.”

A huge thank you to Lily for her support!

She’s already raised an incredible £728, which will help us provide even more nights of shelter to our guests across the UK. You can sponsor her incredible efforts here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/lily-johnson

21/09/2026

A big thank you to everyone who joined us on Friday for our Open House Festival debut.

As well as showcasing Home Between Homes, our exhibition of Eve Milner ARPS Photographer's photographs of 18 of our hosts, we were delighted to have a full house for our talk and Q&A with two of our volunteers and a member of our team.

It was inspiring to see such a keen interest in our work, and we’re excited to bring the exhibition to more audiences in the coming months.

Stay tuned to be the first to know about where our Home Between Homes exhibition will be on display next.

15/09/2026

Who are our hosts?

From teachers to broadcasters, students to retirees, the people opening their homes to those seeking sanctuary come from all walks of life.

Over the next two weeks, some of these hosts will be making an appearance on digital screens across London, giving a glimpse into the backgrounds of those helping to make the UK a more welcoming place.

The installations feature a selection of Eve Milner ARPS Photographer’s brilliant portraits of our volunteers, which you can see more of at our Open House Festival event this Friday.

A huge thank you to the team at BUILDHOLLYWOOD, whose incredibly generous support made this happen.

Let us know if you spot one of the displays out in the wild!

26/08/2026

The results of our latest guest survey are in! ✅

Every month, we ask our recently hosted guests about their placements to find out what went well, and how we can provide an even better experience.

Check out some of the results below 👇

Thinking about helping even more of our guests have a great experience with us? Visit our website to find out more, sign up, or donate.

21/08/2026

We’re delighted to be a part of this year’s Open House Festival to showcase Home Between Homes, a new photographic exhibition featuring some of the faces behind hosting.

Over the last year, we’ve worked with Eve Milner ARPS Photographer on a series of 18 portraits of our hosts – from Herbert & Eva, a couple who fled World War 2, to footballer and broadcaster Gary Lineker. All the photographs have been taken at hosts’ homes and showcase the welcoming environments created for their guests.

The free exhibition, which also features some of the stories of those involved, will be on display at 3Space in Brixton on Friday 18 September from 12pm to 6pm. You’re also invited to join us at 6pm for a special talk featuring some of our hosts and team.

Bookings for the festival are now open and registering in advance is strongly recommended. Click here to find out more and sign up: https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/listings/13862

19/08/2026

A huge congratulations to the lucky winner of our recent prize draw 🎉

This summer, we held a special giveaway offering you the chance to win an official Arsenal shirt signed by star midfielder Declan Rice.

Our supporter Nina took home the iconic 2023-24 home shirt on behalf of her son-in-law, Sam (pictured).

Thanks to the generosity of everyone who entered, we raised an amazing £1,215 – enough to fund the cost of finding a safe, welcoming place to stay for 18 of our guests.

We can only do what we do because of our supporters, and every penny helps us work towards a future where nobody seeking sanctuary faces sleeping rough.

To donate and help us make a big difference, visit refugeesathome.org.