I know what it’s like to long for safety.

When I first immigrated to Canada, I had no job, little money, and no clear idea of what the future held. What I did have was the deep, almost instinctive knowing that shelter isn't the same as safety. That insight became the seed for both my book MapsInTheWild and this guide, The Safe Home Starter Guide.

Whether you're hosting a newcomer, sharing your space with a guest, or creating a home with your partner and kids 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 give 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.

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.