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Security Net and Ambassadors for Social Inclusion? The Role of Intermediaries in Host-Refugee Relationships in Homestay Programs
[journal article]
Abstract In response to refugees' social marginalisation and lack of appropriate housing, homestay programs have emerged as a new approach to refugee accommodation. However, caring relationships between asylum‐seekers and refugees and locals are prone to reproduce power imbalances. As a countermeasure, flats... view more
In response to refugees' social marginalisation and lack of appropriate housing, homestay programs have emerged as a new approach to refugee accommodation. However, caring relationships between asylum‐seekers and refugees and locals are prone to reproduce power imbalances. As a countermeasure, flatshares initiated by the organisation Refugees Welcome are created within a three‐fold network of hosts, social workers, and volunteers. The volunteers serve as intermediaries and provide refugees with personalised support to become more rooted in society. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and thirty in‐depth interviews with hosts, refugees, intermediaries, and social workers in Catalonia (Spain), this article explores the responsibilities and struggles of intermediaries in the hosting networks. Results show that intermediaries give refugees and hosts a sense of security during the flatshare and keep social workers informed, yet their role varies considerably.... view less
Keywords
migration; refugee; family; honorary office; social relations; accommodation; social integration
Classification
General Sociology, Basic Research, General Concepts and History of Sociology, Sociological Theories
Free Keywords
family hosting; housing; migration; refugees; volunteering
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
Page/Pages
p. 232-242
Journal
Social Inclusion, 9 (2021) 4
Issue topic
In Good Company? Personal Relationships, Network Embeddedness, and Social Inclusion
ISSN
2183-2803
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed