The Netherlands has started refusing to accommodate Ukrainian refugees: what's going on?

In the Netherlands, municipal shelters are overcrowded and Ukrainian refugees are increasingly being denied accommodation. Due to reduced funding and lack of space, municipalities are sounding the alarm, calling on the government to take action. The problem has been exacerbated by an increase in requests for temporary accommodation through the Red Cross. Find out what is happening in the Netherlands and how the situation will be resolved

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The problem of accommodating Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands is growing rapidly: municipal shelters are overcrowded, and the possibilities to find alternative options are becoming increasingly limited, as NOS writes. According to official figures, there are currently about 120,820 Ukrainians registered in the Netherlands, of whom 93,770 are in municipal accommodation centres. However, in recent weeks, there have been worrying reports that there is simply nowhere else to take in new refugees.

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Overcrowded shelters and denial of accommodation

The Association of Dutch Municipalities recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for an urgent solution to the accommodation issue. The municipalities of the major cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague issued a joint statement noting that there are less than 35 available places in the country, and the overall occupancy rate has reached 99.8%.

‘We have reached a sad point where we can no longer accept Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands and are effectively leaving the Ukrainian people to fend for themselves,’ said Rutger Groot Vasink, a councillor for the Amsterdam municipality. ‘We had to turn away dozens of people,’ he added.

Until recently, Amsterdam tried to redirect Ukrainians to other regions, but since 5 March this has become impossible due to the lack of available places.

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Insufficient funding and budget deficit

Municipalities say that their capacity to accommodate refugees is being limited not only by a lack of physically available space, but also by insufficient funding. Since the beginning of the year, the government has reduced compensation for hosting refugees from €61 to €44 per day per person, while the actual costs fluctuate between €55 and €60.

The Hague is among the cities affected by this decision: the city announces an expected deficit of €4 million a year. The municipal authorities stress that the current government policy ‘violates agreements on adequate funding’ and puts local administrations in a stalemate.

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Appeals for help and growing requests

The Red Cross reports a growing number of Ukrainian refugees forced to seek temporary accommodation. While in December and January, more than 200 people applied for help, in February this figure rose to 400. The organisation is only able to provide temporary accommodation in hotels for a maximum of three nights, which is clearly not enough to solve the systemic crisis.

What can Ukrainians expect?

The Association of Municipalities, as well as councillors of large cities, are calling on the government to urgently address the problem of accommodating Ukrainian refugees. According to them, the current funding and infrastructure of shelters no longer correspond to current realities, and the unstable geopolitical situation suggests that the number of people who have come from Ukraine will grow.

The municipalities appealed to parliament at the end of last week, saying that they were ‘not receiving enough support’ and needed additional funds and accommodation. In the near future, the Second Chamber (the lower house of parliament) will hold a debate to discuss measures to increase funding and find new options for accommodating incoming Ukrainians.

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We remind you! Applying for a work visa to the Netherlands may seem like a complicated process, especially if you are abroad. However, with the right approach and professional legal support, this path becomes much easier and clearer. We explained how to apply for a work visa without returning to Ukraine and what steps you need to go through to successfully find a job in the Netherlands based on a real-life case study that VU lawyers received.

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