A Model for Refugee Integration

As backlash against migrants and refugees intensifies and governments scale back support, private hosting and sponsorship have emerged as promising alternatives. This commentary examines new evidence on their potential—and limitations—in fostering refugee integration, offering insight for policymakers navigating an era of shrinking political and fiscal space.

A study by Herpell et al. leveraged Germany's unprecedented private hosting response to Ukrainian displacement in 2022, where platforms like '#UnterkunftUkraine' matched refugees with residents willing to share housing. The research finds that private hosting markedly improves refugees' social, psychological, and navigational integration—privately hosted refugees had more frequent contact with locals, greater assistance navigating bureaucracy, and stronger feelings of belonging. However, no measurable effects on linguistic, economic, or political integration were found within the observed timeframe.

These findings are especially relevant as countries like the USA and UK scale back foreign aid and refugee resettlement programmes. Models like Canada's 'Private Sponsorship of Refugees' and the USA's 'Welcome Corps' allow communities to assume financial and social responsibility for newly arrived refugees, engaging civil society while reducing reliance on public budgets. Beyond immediate benefits, direct citizen-refugee interaction may help shift public attitudes and counter anti-immigration narratives.