The CARE Approach

CARE: Communicate, Assist, Refer, Empathize.

It is a helpful protocol for IFI volunteers when challenges and/or the need for flexibility arises. There is nothing magical about these four actions, except that they are motivated by your desire to love and serve. Should you encounter a student who is seeking to overstay their welcome, the four steps below provide a framework for lovingly transitioning your student out of your home.

Communicate

Sit down with your student and clearly explain the situation. Let the student know that he/she will need to find somewhere else to go. Establish a time line for when the student must be ready to move. Make sure that he/she understands by respectfully asking the student to summarize what you are saying. Use an online translating service such as Google Translate if necessary. You may also find it helpful to refer to a calendar when discussing dates and writing down the things you've agreed on.

Assist

As much as you are able, be available to assist the student in the transition to his/her alternative housing by providing or helping your student find transportation from your home to where he/she will stay. Your student will be very proficient using the internet and other available resources to find places to stay. There are several alternatives listed below, so don't feel like you need to do this on his/her behalf. Here is a list  provided by OSU's Office of International Affairs.

  •  Your student may be able to stay with a friend who has already moved into an apartment. Suggest this option first.
  • If your student has a housing contract with OSU, he/she can purchase additional temporary housing for about $20/day. More details are available here.
  • As a last resort, your student may need to stay in a hotel for a few days. Please don't feel like you are letting IFI or the student down if you must drop him/her off at a hotel. You have served him/her as well as possible up to this point, and your student, hopefully, is very grateful for your generosity.

Refer

If you don't know what to do in a particular situation, call or refer the student to us or one of the other organizations listed here:

  • OIA - The Office of International Affairs handles almost all of the issues for which your student may need assistance.
  • Off-campus Housing (now known as Neighborhood Collaboration Services) will assist with off-campus housing issues
  • IFI will be helpful in other instances, such as conversation partners, Bible studies, and student activities.

Empathize

It is very important that you do your best to put yourself "in your student's shoes". Your student may have a completely different cultural understanding of hospitality than you. Your student may have never stayed with another family before. Your student could be terrified about being alone in Columbus. There are any number of reasons a student would be reluctant to leave your home. Try your best to empathize with his/her situation; a little empathy will go a long way in affirming your budding relationship, despite the potentially awkward situation.