All you need is a spare room and a big heart!
Claire Walford
Helen Hodgson is the founder of Hope at Home. We caught up with her to find out how the charity provides vital accommodation to survivors of modern slavery.
Helen Hodgson and her husband Jared had a shared passion for hospitality and using their home to minister to others. They were distressed to discover the scale of modern slavery in the UK and felt compelled to do something practical in response. As they prayed, researched and talked to friends and others working in the modern slavery sector, they became aware of the huge need for accommodation for victims of modern slavery.
They made the big decision to buy a larger home so they would have room to accommodate someone and through a rather serendipitous route, met a female survivor who needed accommodation. She lived with the family for a year and during that time, Helen and Jared learnt a lot about what makes a good host and how to care for guests appropriately.
In January 2018, they set up Hope at Home with a vision to roll out the hosting scheme nationally and provide safe homes for many survivors of modern slavery. Since then, Hope at Home has grown to employ nine people from a variety of faith and non-faith backgrounds.
Hope at Home is seeking to fill a massive gap in terms of accommodation - after escaping exploitation, many survivors of modern slavery are left isolated and at risk of homelessness and re-trafficking or further abuse.
Helen explains: “There simply isn’t enough accommodation or bed spaces in safe houses, particularly for men. Our vision is to accommodate survivors in a welcoming family environment so they have the foundation they need to rebuild their lives and thrive again.
“Our USP is the way we support hosts. We know what hosts need and we provide lots of training, support and regular check-ins. We also support our guests and have a team member devoted to helping guests with the next stage of their lives, helping them move on and gain independence. On average, placements are for 4-6 months but some last up to a year. Since we began, we have provided more than 13,000 safe nights of sleep for survivors of modern slavery.
“We try to place guests in cities where they have an existing support network. We only manage to place 10 per cent of the referrals we receive as we simply don’t have enough hosts. There is so much need.
“Every host has different reasons for volunteering and different approaches to hosting. Some have children, some are single, some are only really offering a room, others want to be very involved and offer lots of shared meals and experiences. Similarly, guests want different things. The matching process is very important.
“Safeguarding is woven into everything we do. We take the recruitment of hosts extremely seriously and conduct home visits, DBS checks, get references, provide lots of training and are alert to any red flags. Similarly, with our guests, we have a detailed referral form and won’t place anyone with substance issues or suicidal thoughts – we take the mental health and medical needs of survivors very seriously when considering whether a placement will work.”
We asked Helen about why the hosting experience is so transformative for survivors. She waxed lyrical: “there is a magic ingredient when you host someone in your home. You offer a true welcome and sense of belonging. Some hosts welcome their guests with flowers or cookies or a hug. You don’t get that in a hostel! For most guests, it is the first time in years they have felt safe, can be themselves and simply ‘breathe’. It is beautiful to witness. Time and again, survivors are able to flourish because they are safe. It doesn’t happen every time but it is our experience most of the time. I was recently speaking to a host and he told me it was the best thing he’d ever done in his life. It is taxing but it is always rewarding.
“Since the beginning of Hope at Home, Isaiah 58 has been especially precious to us and we see providing a room to a modern slavery survivor as a concrete way in which Christians can obey these verses and “share [their] food with the hungry and provide the [poor wanderer] with shelter." Offering a survivor a room in your home gives you a chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus. When people hear about our initiative, they are often remark that at last they can channel their concern and horror at modern slavery in a practical way.”
If you are interested in finding out more about being a host, Helen and her team would love to speak to you! They won’t sugar coat anything – they love chatting about the reality, the joys and the challenges, with potential hosts.
Hope at Home receives no government funding and is entirely reliant on financial gifts from individuals, churches and trusts. To find out more, go to www.hopeathome.org.uk/
Helen concludes: “If you have a spare room and a big heart, get in touch!”