The reception center for Ukrainian refugees in Utrecht, which provided accommodation for newly arrived citizens, was closed due to overcrowding. Find out how Ukrainians are now forced to act and what volunteer initiatives can help them find asylum.

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The Netherlands has completely closed the reception center for Ukrainian refugees in the city of Utrecht. According to the website of the Utrecht Security Region, the reason for this step is overcrowding in the shelter, and resettlement of people is impossible due to a lack of places for long-term accommodation. This has caused serious problems for the new arrivals, who are now forced to look for housing on their own or even sleep in cars.

Why was the reception center for all refugees closed?

The center for Ukrainians in Jaarbeurs in Utrecht served as a temporary shelter for newly arrived refugees from Ukraine. Here they could stay for a short period of time until they were resettled in long-term housing in the regions of the country. However, on August 19, it was announced that the center would be completely closed due to overcrowding. The government explains that the occupancy rate of reception centers across the country is 99.8%, with only about 100 beds left. Because of this, it is impossible to relocate the people currently in the center to other places in the country.

It is noted that the center in Yarbers was designed to accommodate 140 people, who could stay there for 24 hours before being relocated to another place in the country. However, due to the lack of places for resettlement, newcomers are forced to stay here for a long time, which has blocked the ability to accept new refugees. Since the end of February, the center has only provided places for vulnerable categories of people, such as women with children, people over 70, and people with acute psychological or chronic physical conditions. It is worth noting that this was the last center in the Netherlands to accommodate newcomers. It will be reopened only if the country creates enough additional places for long-term asylum.

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What should newly arrived refugees do in the Netherlands?

The Utrecht Security Region and the municipality expressed regret over the closure of the center, but noted that the reception of refugees is the responsibility of the central government. The Refugee Council calls on the Dutch government to take control of the situation, as problems with the reception of Ukrainians have been going on for several months.

Newly arrived Ukrainians who are registering for the first time are now forced to look for housing on their own. Refugee aid organizations have expressed concern that people are traveling from one municipality to another without finding a place to stay. Over the past few weeks, there have been several reports of people being forced to sleep on the street or in cars because they have not been offered shelter.

The page for Ukrainian refugees help-ukraine.nl recommends using international accommodation search platforms, such as booking.com and Airbnb, in connection with the closure of the center. Volunteer initiatives such as ICanHelp.Host, MapaHelp.me, UkraineNow.org, and Host4Ukraine.com can also help.

You can register upon arrival in any municipality in the Netherlands. If the municipality does not have a place available, it will contact the Regional Coordination Center for Refugee Accommodation (RCVS). If the municipality refuses to offer asylum and will not look for another place, you can contact the Dutch Council for Refugees.

We remind you! The Netherlands has hosted thousands of Ukrainian families seeking asylum since the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine. Nowadays, this country also accepts refugees, but the rules of admission and residence have changed over the past two years. Read the latest information on moving to the Netherlands in our previous article.

Photo: RefugeeHelp

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Ihor Usyk is the Head of Legal Department at Visit Ukraine

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