When I was adopted from Brazil to Switzerland, I didn't get to bring my culture with me.

I had to adapt, quickly. Later, when I moved to Canada and stayed with various host families, I again found myself trying to “fit in” rather than be fully seen.

Whether you're a homestay host, sharing your space with a guest, or creating a home with your partner or chosen family, what you offer goes beyond a roof. You’re offering presence, boundaries, care, and a place where someone can begin again.

This guide is for the people who want to hold space, not just about offering a safe space.

It’s for homestay hosts, first-time landlords, families housing refugees, or anyone creating a home during a time of transition. It’s a reflective tool, not a checklist. Because safety begins with intention, and intentions are shaped by our stories.

Start here, with one powerful question: Why are you opening your home?

Not just practically, but emotionally, spiritually, relationally?

Your answer is the foundation of everything that follows.

That’s why Section 3 of The Safe Home Starter Guide, Cultural Curiosity, is so close to my heart.

Being curious about someone's culture isn’t just about asking where they’re from.

It’s about making space for their full humanity:

• Asking what foods make them feel at home.

• Not assuming their way is wrong just because it’s unfamiliar.

• Listening more than correcting.

This isn’t just about hospitality. It’s about healing.

When someone feels culturally seen, they can finally stop being “on guard.” That’s when real trust begins.

Choose curiosity over control. Ask. Listen. Invite their story in.

It might just reshape yours.

Want More?

Download The Safe Home Starter Guide and get the full reflective tool to support your hosting journey, grounded in empathy, shaped by lived experience, and made for real life.