Here they have a home. It's a community that is understanding of their situation and respectful, without being intrusive. Housed in a 108-year old convent on Lafayette that is owned by Ste. Anne de Detroit church, Freedom House holds up to 40 people at one time. But space is cramped.
Tiny rooms hold two or three people.
Residents who are granted asylum are given transitional housing for up to two years from a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant. Word of the house's services have traveled across the world. Many residents arrive on Freedom House's doorsteps with no money and most can't speak a word of English, officials said. The home provides basic necessities, but little else. The process of getting asylum can take as long as a year or more.