They call it a common gesture of courtesy to inform people that your home would offer itself to those fleeing some kind of devastation (oppressive regimes, abuse, earthquakes, etc.). However, most people don’t end up in that kind of humanitarian role. What’s the closest you have come?
For me, the closest was volunteering at a local non-profit that provides temporary housing to immigrants who are released from the local detention center and may not even know where the hell they are. They bus them in from Texas (we are in Colorado) and detain them here. Casa de Paz is the name of the non-profit in case anyone feels generous. They do amazing work and provide much-needed services and tons of empathy for the people they serve.