The Municipality of Eindhoven recently signed an agreement with Takecarebnb. The organisation links status holders to host families, who open their homes from three months. Hilleke and her husband Ron enthusiastically take part in this initiative.
A status holder is a refugee who has been granted a status and who is allowed to stay in the Netherlands. Until a home has been found for that person, he/she will normally continue to live in an asylum seekers’ center (AZC). Thousands of status holders are currently waiting for a home. Mugahed, 20, is staying with Hilleke and Ron. Mugahed says: “I can’t go back to my country. The situation is not safe there. After some wanderings I ended up in the Netherlands. It’s hard not being able to see my own family. But thanks to Takecarebnb, I can stay with this lovely host family. We practice the Dutch language and I get to know the Dutch culture.”
Through her work, Hilleke came into contact with Takecarebnb. “Ron and I had to think about whether we wanted to participate in this. But soon we decided to give this a chance. A weekend test stay, part of the procedure, was not necessary! It clicked so well. You learn a lot from each other: he about the Netherlands and we about Yemen.”
Register as host family
There are more people like Mugahed who would like to stay with host family and learn more about The Netherlands. Takecarebnb is looking for more host families. Do you have an extra room and would you like to open this up for a refugee? Register here.