Helping Irish Hosts

Helping Irish Hosts (HIH) is a limited company formed by a group of hosts, working together with displaced and Irish based Ukrainians, to get people into Irish homes – quickly – to give them a soft landing, while avoiding Direct Provision and long term hotel / government accommodation stays.

We arose in direct response to the Ukraine crisis in March 2022. Our mission is to empower and support individuals and communities in Ireland to host Ukrainians in their homes, safely and sustainably. We’ve done an excellent job so far, matching over 1,600 Ukrainians in more than 650 homes, a vibrant, trusted support network for hosts and presenting a strong voice in advocacy for hosts at all levels.

We are the ONLY organisation providing host support and a process to achieve rematching where existing hosts find themselves unable to continue hosting. Our reputation among host households is unrivalled and we continue to be the go-to organisation for information and guidance, supporting existing hosts in their day-to-day relationships with their guests.

In April 2023 we joined a consortium of partners responsible for the activation of public accommodation pledges on behalf of the state (DCEDIY), along with IOM, Peter McVerry Trust and leading consortium partner, The Irish Red Cross.

We are funded by The One Foundation, The Sunflower Foundation, The Community Foundation, Choose Love and our Service Level Agreement with The Irish Red Cross. We are supported in other ways by a wide variety of individual, corporate and state partners. We are registered as a not for profit CLG (717469, April 13, 2022).

Our hosts are motivated by a desire to help people fleeing Ukraine and this is our focus. Our belief is that this response has the potential to transform Ireland’s ongoing refugee response, to finally move away from Direct Provision towards a system Ireland can be proud of.

We are hosts, helping hosts. Together, we are playing our part in this historic, unprecedented, global emergency humanitarian response. We believe that this is the best way forward.