Hosting a migrant family in your home is now as simple as a phone call
DENVER (KDVR) — An organization in Denver is working to get migrants off the streets and into homes of host families across Colorado, and a new partnership is making that task easier than ever before.
Hope Has No Borders began pairing migrant workers and their families with hosts in Colorado in late 2023. Now, with help from the United Way, getting paired up is a simple phone call away by dialing 211.
How you can help migrants in Denver
Erin Lennon is one of the many hosts the organization has paired with migrants. She didn’t realize the scope of Denver’s migrant crisis until talking with a friend late last year.
“Wow this is not just a little problem, this is a big problem,” she remembers thinking.
A single mom with a spare bedroom in the house, she felt a call to help.
“Why aren’t you doing something? You know?” she said. “Just in my heart, that’s what I was telling myself.”
She found her solution through Hope Has No Borders, which has paired 500 migrants with host families since late last year.
“It’s pretty significant, the number of people who are open to this idea,” said Jenifer Kettering, one of three executive directors with Hope Has No Borders.
Through the organization’s pairing process, which asks questions to find a perfect match for your home, Lennon welcomed a family of four to stay with her and her son. Her family was nervous at first about the idea of taking in strangers.
“Some of the greatest things that, you know, that you do or have done, has been involved with some risk,” Lennon said.
A normal reaction to have, she said, but their fears were quickly resolved.
Denver introduces nearly $90M ‘newcomer’ budget plan for migrant aid
“We cooked meals together, we cleaned the house together, you know, we just were a community with each other,” Lennon said.
She hasn’t been alone, either.
“Hope Has No Borders is providing financial stipends that are negotiated sort of on the need of the host,” says Kettering.
It helps with things like food or even utility bills.
After spending seven weeks with Lennon, the family is now taking care of themselves, living on their own in an apartment. She’s thankful for the opportunity to help and hopes others take the same chance she did.
“Everybody has been super kind, everybody just wants to work, everybody just wants a chance to have their dream come true in America,” Lennon said.
Anyone interested in hosting a migrant family can dial 211. You’ll be asked a few questions, like how long you’re able to host someone and what kind of space you can provide. Kettering says you can expect the call to last about 20 minutes.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
