The end of your placement
You can, on one day feel very connected with them, and another day, it just ends… It’s quite intense, that sense of connection when they’re there and then you have to let go of it when they go.
Hosting is a temporary situation; this means placements come to an end all the time for different reasons. The ideal situation is when guests find permanent accommodation that will offer them security.
We do not offer hosting as an alternative to asylum accommodation; whilst it’s not always ideal, statutory housing is provided which makes space for other people without this support to be helped. If someone voluntarily leaves their Home Office accommodation prior to a decision being made on their asylum claim, it is extraordinarily difficult to access this again.
Your guest may be leaving you to move to another Refugees at Home host. In these cases we will ask for your input on what the guest will need, and we will ask you to let us know anything that the new host should be aware of.
You may need to end the placement if you are no longer available. We completely understand that you may be going on holiday, or having other guests to stay. It’s incredibly helpful to have advance notice of this so please do tell your Placement Coordinator as soon as possible.
Once your placement has ended, you may wish to have a break before hosting again, or you may be ready straight away to host someone else. Do let your Placement Coordinator know either way. We all use the same database, so your availability will be shared with the whole team.
The hardest thing was dealing with the end of the first placement I had, trying to not interfere while my guest handled things with his case worker, but to be informed so that I had eyes for what he was going through.
Staying in touch
The end of a placement can lead to any number of emotions – sadness, relief, joy, and anxiety are all common. By hosting with us, you’ve made a huge difference to the lives of your guests and there’s no way of knowing what comes next. You may stay in touch with your guest, or you might never hear from them again – either outcome is perfectly normal. It’s important that neither you nor your guest feel pressured into anything. You shouldn’t feel like the placement was a failure if you fall out of contact – you have played a hugely important role in your guest’s life at an incredibly challenging time for them.
I love to stay in touch with my guests, but I’m also not offended if they don’t because they’re living their own life – I’m just a stop in their journey. I try and let it be led by them so that it doesn’t feel like I am forcing anything. I don’t want them to feel obliged in any way.
Often people say to us ‘do you know what happens after they leave?’ And we couldn’t afford to keep following up because emotionally you can’t keep hold of it all. You just have to trust that you’ve done the best you can and hopefully you’ve helped them and then move on to the next phase.
