Deciding to become a host is a big decision, and you should think carefully about whether or not it's right for you. Information to help you make a decision is available from:

• Refugees at Home
• The No Accommodation Network
• City of Sanctuary
• VITA Network

If you decide to become a host, once you've matched with someone and have applied for a visa, Stronger Communities Middlesbrough will get in touch with you. A member of the team, along with an environmental health officer, will visit you to check your property is suitable. The property check will include making sure that:

• your property will not be overcrowded
• you have smoke alarms in place - if not, we can refer you to Cleveland Fire Brigade for a home safety check
• you have a gas safety certificate if you have a gas boiler and / or gas appliances (this is not the same as a boiler service) - if you do not have a gas safety certificate, we will arrange for a check to be completed by a gas safety engineer

We will also arrange for you to have a DBS check.

If possible, please let the team know when your guest is due to arrive. This will help us make sure that the welcome processes are not delayed. These include providing your guest(s) with letters to:

• access their £200 per person payment from the South Tees Community Bank
• pick up a £50 per person Love2Shop voucher from the cashiers' desk at Middlesbrough House

You can get in touch with us by emailing scm@middlesbrough.gov.uk.

We have to carry out a safeguarding check, so we will visit your home at least once to make sure your guest is there and settling in well. To make sure both you and your guest are safe, we will visit at least once every week until your DBS and property checks are completed. If you or your guest find it useful for visits to continue after this, we are happy to do this.

We can help your guest with applying for a bank account and Universal Credit. Once your guest has had their first appointment with the Jobcentre, the DWP will send them a link to apply for a National Insurance number through text message. The DWP can also check documents for a Child Benefit application, as well as help with the application itself.

If your guest has school-age children, we will refer them to the Ethnic Minority Achievement Team (EMAT) to help them find a school place.

We work with Sunflower Sisters, a grassroots organisation, and hold regular drop-ins at Newport Community Hub. Your guest will be informed of the dates and times of these events. The drop-ins offer an opportunity for hosts and guests to relax in a social environment and ask questions.

Once your guest has arrived and your checks are completed, we will release the £350 'thank you' payment. It will be paid into your bank account after a month. We will contact you to sign a sponsorship agreement form first.

We know that expectations and reality are often very different, and that giving up your home and private life to someone is difficult.

If you feel that the relationship between yourself and your guest is not going as well as you expected, please contact us as soon as possible so we can discuss your options. You can get in touch with us by emailing scm@middlesbrough.gov.uk.