Municipal reception centers for Ukrainian refugees are overcrowded. The Association of Netherlands Municipalities sent a concerned letter to the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, aldermen of the four largest cities in the country appealed to the Ministry of Asylum and Migration for support, and the Dutch Council is sounding the alarm. This is reported by UNN with reference to Nos.Nl.
Details
This week in Amsterdam, we had to turn away dozens of homeless people, just like last week. Referrals to shelters in other cities are not possible, because across the country there are now fewer than 35 beds, and the occupancy rate is 99.8 percent. We have reached a sad limit where we can no longer accept refugees from Ukraine in the Netherlands, and we are abandoning the Ukrainian people.
A total of 120,820 Ukrainians are registered in the Netherlands. Of these, 93,770 are in municipal shelters. The total number of shelter places in the country is 93,970, which indicates almost 100% occupancy.
The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) expects that due to the "uncertain geopolitical situation," even more Ukrainians will come to the Netherlands. At the same time, the support for municipalities from the Cabinet of Ministers turned out to be insufficient. In particular, the association criticized the housing compensation that municipalities receive for a place in a shelter. In their opinion, it is too low.
At the beginning of this year, it (compensation - ed.) was reduced from 61 to 44 euros per day. This makes the creation of new shelters for small municipalities practically impossible without their own investments. The actual costs for a shelter place are between 55 and 60 euros per day, - write the four large cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague) in their letter.
Alternatives to shelters
The Dutch Red Cross notes that refugees from Ukraine are increasingly turning to the organization for help. In December and January, more than 200 Ukrainians sought shelter assistance. In February, there were more than 400.
Of these, eighteen people indicated that they had spent at least one night on the street. This is also a real increase compared to previous months.
The Red Cross can offer people in very vulnerable situations accommodation in a hotel for up to three nights. But this is certainly not a solution.
In Amsterdam, there are 24 "current beds" for refugees who have just arrived in the country. They can use them while waiting for a place in a shelter in another municipality. All beds have been occupied since March 4, and, according to the municipality, it is unlikely that they will become available anytime soon.
We look at what we can do for the most vulnerable, but often we see no other way out than to turn away people who have reported that they have to arrange their own shelter.
Recall
Earlier, UNN wrote that more than 35,000 Ukrainians received refugee status in Turkey.