The government has announced funding for people who take asylum seekers into their homes, but organisers are keen to point out that it's not a way for householders to supplement their incomes.
The scheme is being implemented through the Australia Homestay Network - a private company that specialises in finding homes for foreign students attending Australian secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
The AHN's website has a special section for people interested in hosting an asylum seeker as part of the Community Placement Network scheme.
It features a Frequently Asked Questions page, as well as a step-by-step sign-up procedure. Potential hosts are asked to fill out details of their homes and personal circumstances.
"There's never been anything like this in the world," said David Bycroft, AHN's executive director.
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"This will be watched by all other countries as a potential solution," he added.
SPIKE IN APPLICATIONS
The announcement of the funding caused a flood of applications on the website, beginning at 2am when the first newspaper hit the stands, said Mr Bycroft.
"We've had over 600 Australians apply today and for us, that would normally take to to three months," Mr Bycroft said.
"We're in the early stages, but the indicators are good," Mr Bycroft said.
However, he was quick to warn that anyone seeking to make money from the scheme need not apply.
"The people who shouldn't apply are firstly are the ones who think they're going to get extra income to support their household," Mr Bycroft warned.
"People shouldn't apply who don't have adequate space for one or two asylum seekers," he added, stressing that it was not appropriate to offer asylum seekers rooms shared with other family members or other boarders.
People who were too busy in their lives to give back to an asylum seeker in their home were also not suitable for the program, he said.
Householders with prejudices against Muslims or other groups, or who had political views against those who came to Australia as Irregular Maritime Arrivals (often referred to as 'boat people') should not apply.
PAY MORE THAN YOU RECEIVE
"The allowance people are paid is designed to just covet the anticipated expenses, and many hosts will becontributing more than they receive."
Mr Bycroft said he believed the vast majority of people who had already applied were doing so for compassionate reasons.
He said the information that potential hosts had to read during the online application explained very clearly what the hosting situation would entail.
ASYLUM SEEKERS
The CPN would initially be available to 18-25 year old asylum seekers, mostly male, and mostly from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
"These are the people who've been sent ahead to find new homes and new lives for their families," Mr Bycroft said.
"They've had trauma, and we've got support networks around the host so we can help with that."
The application approval process would take five to eight weeks in major cities, which were desirable locations for many asylum seekers who already have family in Australia.
"We are going to process them all as fast as possible," Mr Bycroft said, adding that the necessary police checks would be the most time-consuming part of the process.
RED CROSS
The AHN's host-screening methods had been commended by the Federal and NSW governments, Mr Bycroft said.
Applicants submit an online application and are then directed to reading materials, on which they must pass a comprehension test.
Those who scored 80 per cent or more on the 20 questions would then be subject to police screening, and then interviewed by an experienced AHN representative, he said.
Their homes would also be inspected.
The Red Cross would screen and select asylum seekers who were eligible for community integration.
Ninety per cent of people who had arrived in Australia by boat were likely to be approved for the scheme.
"We know this program works well for international students in Australia and we believe it's a better model for getting asylum seekers settled into the community than a lot of the other models that have been proposed in the past," said Mr Bycroft.
Your Say: Would you host an asylum seeker?
