This week, Mo Farah revealed that his birth name is Hussein Abdi Kahin. He was trafficked to the UK aged just 9 and was forced to work as a domestic slave. His full story aired on BBC1 (now available on BBC iPlayer) – it’s well worth a watch.
The Global Slavery Index estimates that there are 136,000 people in slavery at any one time in the UK, yet in 2019 just 10,000 people were identified as victims and brought out of their situation. This means that around 1 in every 500 people in the UK is in slavery – in a city the size of Bradford, where I live, that means it is likely that well over 700 people are living without their freedom and dignity.
But even those people who escape their situation can find themselves homeless. This inspired Helen and Jared Hodgson to launch Hope at Home, which facilitates people opening their homes for survivors of human trafficking.
Hope at Home
In an echo of Mo Farah’s experience when he started school aged 12, Helen noted that many of their guests haven’t had the opportunity to learn English, and are also without a support network of friends and family nearby. If they are not entitled to benefits (for example, as refused asylum seekers) the combination of vulnerabilities is dangerous. “Homeless people are targeted by traffickers, so they are at risk of being re-trafficked,” Helen shares. “That’s the moment where our hosts step in and provide an amazing home for them.”
Helen and Jared are understandably cautious about drawing too much attention to the people they are hosting, but Clara* was able to share her experience. She was supported by Hope at Home to find a safe place to recover and grow.
“My life before I moved [into the host’s house] was really hard, it was a difficult time, and a lot of bad things happened to me. I didn’t have anyone to talk to, or to listen to. I just stayed by myself in my flat all the time, not going out for 24 hours. I only came out when I had important appointments and when I got back I would just lock myself away. Before I moved to my host family’s house I felt very nervous. I lived with my host family for a year and I’ve made a lot of good memories with them. They gave me love, they are very caring and they listen to me when something happens. Once I went out and saw something that scared me. When I came home they saw from my face that I was scared, they came over and gave me a hug – they talk to me and they understand. These things didn’t happen to me before. They love me, they always tell me ‘we love you’. No-one has ever told me that they love me before in all my life. When they say they love me, I come up to my room and I cry, because I think about how much my life has changed since I moved here. Now I go out all the time and don’t lock myself away, and I can deal with the things when I’m scared because the host family help me.
“If you decide to help someone like me, you can offer them a new life. Before I moved to my host family I tried to kill myself because I felt so lonely. But when I moved here my life changed. Before I came to the host family I tried to get help from so many places, but no-one could help me. My host family helped me with everything, that’s why they have given me a new life. The biggest thing I receive from them is love. But they give me more than love, they give me more than words can say.”
Jared and Helen founded Hope at Home with people like Clara in mind. Jared told me, “We want to ensure that every survivor of human trafficking has somewhere safe to live, and we want to see the church across the country step up, be the kingdom of God in action and bringing those that don’t have homes into their homes.”
Having piloted the scheme in their own home, Helen explained, “A lady came to us via the Citizens Advice Bureau; she was about to be evicted. She lived with us for about a year and Jared was then made redundant. We then began to set up the charity and find hosts across the country to do the same thing. There is always a worry because you don’t know who that person is and how it is going to impact your family, but when they move in and get to know them it changes. They just become part of your family.”
A host’s story
Susie and her husband volunteered as hosts after hearing Helen and Jared speaking at the New Wine Summer Conference – she shares her story:
“We were so inspired by what they are doing, and we felt that it was something that maybe we could do. For us it was just a really tangible way to live out Jesus’ calling to really love the vulnerable. Jared came one evening to check out where we live, where a guest might stay and about our motivations. There is training, DBS checks and references and so on – Hope at Home’s heart is for justice, to prevent people who have already been in a really difficult situation from being exploited. It’s easy for me to say ‘I really believe in the work they are doing’, it’s relatively easy to support them financially and share their Facebook posts, but for me it came down to – are you so much into this that you are willing to have somebody in your home?”
Before their first guest arrived there were nerves for Susie. “The thought of someone being in our communal space all the time felt scary, but when our guest arrived, she spent most of the weekend sleeping. I’d baked, we’d planned lots of meals with the family, but it made us realise that where she had come from she hadn’t felt safe. When she moved in here, she was able to feel safe for the first time in ages. My younger two children in particular want to spend time with her, and that has really brought her out of her shell. She now joins us for meals at the table, during half term there has been so much laughter in the house. God is using the kids to bring her peace and healing.” But Susie’s favourite moment was the day their guest moved in, “She looked at the room, threw her arms around me and said thank you. That was the moment I knew I was doing the right thing.”
You can find more stories from survivors of human trafficking who have been supported by the wonderful Snowdrop Project on their website.
Hosting Ukrainian refugees
Hosting refugees has become a more mainstream idea since the invasion of Ukraine. Helen does have concerns about the government’s Ukrainian hosting scheme, the speed with which it has been set up and the checks being carried out. “My concerns are around the matching process, the support and the training for hosts. Where do the guests move on to? What’s the end plan? What happens if it breaks down? I’ve got big concerns over the opportunities for traffickers.”
She clarifies: “I’m not against hosting, I run a hosting charity!” She simply wants to protect both guests and hosts and had some important advice for hosts of refugees.
Advice for hosts:
- The Homes for Ukraine Scheme expects you to sign up for 6 months. This is a long time. Really prepare yourselves and be realistic about what you can offer and with what timescale.
- You need to start with the end in mind – where will your guest move on to and what is the timescale?
- Invest in some training on trauma informed hosting and safeguarding.
- Set up some house rules.
- Make sure that you have support in place for you, hosting can be very draining.
Helen also urged people to be open minded. “A lot of hosting schemes have been bombarded with people saying that they want to have Ukrainians in their home, but I would say that we are here for people of every nationality. So yes, go and find a local hosting scheme, but be available for anybody who needs a home, not just Ukranians. The element of racism has been really really upsetting for us. Last week we heard from some of our hosts who were informing their house insurance company that they were going to have a guest. They were told that if their guest was from Ukraine there wouldn’t be a charge, but if their guest was from anywhere else then there would be. That is something that we are navigating and trying to challenge on a bigger scale.”
Helen also stressed the importance of checking out the hosting organisation carefully, looking at their support if, for example, the placement breaks down or if the host gets ill. Hope at Home’s charitable aims are to supporting victims of trafficking and modern day slavery, so they are not currently supporting Ukranian refugees, but they are looking for hosts all over the country for people seeing a safe place to live and recover.
How to support if you’re not able to host
For people wanting to help but unable to host, Helen advises seeking out other local organisations who are supporting asylum seekers and refugees in hotels or other accommodation. This may mean helping people to find a doctor, for example. Think about how you can support people who are hosting a refugee. “Ask them what you can do to support them as hosts and find out from their guest how you can support them,” Helen said. “When Jesus met Bartimaeus, he asked, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He didn’t assume what Bartimeus wanted. I think asking people ‘What is it I can do to support you?’ gives them dignity and also allows them to be the expert on their needs.”
One other thing everyone can do is look for signs of exploitation and human trafficking.
Spot the signs of exploitation and human trafficking:
- Is the person coming and going freely from the house?
- Do they always have to have someone with them or are they able to go on their own?
- Do they seem isolated?
- Are they suddenly working long hours?
- Are they dropped off and collected for work regularly and at strange times, early morning and late at night?
- If there are children are they collected in taxis at unusual times?
- Are there lots of visitors to the house at unusual times?
- Are their clothes clean?
- Do they have any injuries?
“It’s a horrible thing to think about and have to do,” Helen remarks, “but it is a way that we can look out for people.”
If you do notice any signs of any of those things or more, call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700. You can do it anonymously and they will take it on and investigate if needed. You can find out more about the signs to look out for on their website.
Amin’s story
Up and down the country, refugees and asylum seekers from all backgrounds are investing in their new life in the UK. At the Hopeful Activists, we wanted not only to explore what survivors of human trafficking need to thrive, but also to hear the hopes and dreams of other refugees and asylum seekers who come to the UK. They are experts in their field – we wanted to listen and learn from them how activists in the UK from all backgrounds can host and support refugees.
I met Amin at the English classes at our church, just as the teachers began teaching the mostly Farsi speakers how to make the tricky ‘w’ sound. The hint was to make your lips look like they are about to give a kiss! I asked Amin about the good and hard things about living as a refugee in the UK. He shares:
“The most important things that are helping me are that you can freely choose your lifestyle and your religion. It is impossible in my country, you must continue with the religion given to you by your family. Converting to another religion is a crime, and a death sentence. That is the most important reason we are here.
“The only thing that I need is to be with my family, because living with my family is the most important thing I had in my life. I had a good life in my country and the biggest pressure here is being separated from my wife and my child. That separation is getting harder for me day by day. If there is a possibility that they will join me as soon as possible, I can feel much better here.
“I used to work as a production manager in my country, I had 10 years work experience in factories, I am talented in management and technical skills. If I could find this kind of job position that I am talented in, I would be very happy, because I would be a useful person for myself, for my family and for the UK as well.
“I have to learn English to be able to communicate with others. One of the necessities of life here is learning English and improving my speaking knowledge. And finally I want to say thank you to all the friends here for giving us the opportunity to learn English here in these classes.”
Ali’s story
I spoke to Ali, after he had spent the morning volunteering at the food project at our church. He told me about his journey to the UK:
“I left Iran about 6 years ago. Along the way I arrived in Athens and Switzerland. In my opinion, in the UK, the behaviour and the communication is much more beautiful. I found out that the people of the UK are really kinder. I had a long journey to arrive here, but I hope that here, with the help of these kind people, I can start playing football again and learning football. If I can play sport here I will feel better – sport is the most exciting thing that I can do, and I would love to be able to play football and also boxing. I would love to be able to play sport and be a useful person for this country.”
These are just two examples of refugees’ hopes and dreams, and their gifts and talents. Of course, there are as many stories as there are people. And as people like Clara, Ali, Amin and Mo Farah (who has chosen to keep using the name given to him) are generous with their stories and ideas, compassion and action grows. Let’s pray for those people who will be touched by Mo’s story, that more people will find freedom and that people from all backgrounds will find a way to put their compassion into action.
You can hear these interviews in full in our podcast episode about hosting refugees, which can be found here.
*Name changed to protect identity