Home stays for asylum seekers happened spontaneously at first when local people and those seeking international protection got to know each other.
In 2015-16 asylum seekers arrived in Europe and Finland in unprecedented numbers. New activism and more home stays locally started to happen.
Local groups were formed into a national network of home accommodation. The association was established in 2015 to support and coordinate these activities.
Local activities of Home Accommodation Network can be arranged quite freely according to local needs but it should follow agreed basic principles: volunteerism, reciprocity, trust and right to privacy.
These principles have been agreed in order to have succesful home stays, which offer more long term solutions and all parties feel safe in.
Information about local activities helps in coordination
Even if self governed local groups can act freely and according to local needs, it is important to maintain contact between local actors and with the support association.
The association receives a lot of inquiries from all over the country from people interested in home stay and those interested in hosting or volunteering.
If we are aware of what is going on in different localities, it is easier for us to get hosts and asylum seekers together and to coordinate the activities.
Spontaneous home stays
Naturally home stays of asylum seekers also happen freely outside the Home Accommodation Network. Asylum seekers in Finland have a right to choose where they live, while all of them are registered to a reception centre.
In the network we are also interested in home stays happening spontaneously and what kind of experiences the hosts and the hosted ones have in them. We welcome all of them to participate in our trainings and to contact us if there is any need for information or support.
Information about all home stays helps us to get a comprehensive picture on what is happening in the field in Finland. We collect information for example in anonymous surveys: Majoittajakysely 2023