Heartwarming, that is the word that is often used when it comes to the reception of Ukrainians in the Netherlands. More than 25,000 host families have already registered with Takecarebnb, which arranges shelter for refugees from private individuals. Now that the Netherlands itself is the region, a lot suddenly seems possible.
This is also apparent from the emergency shelter locations that municipalities have created. On March 7, the government asked all 25 security regions to arrange a thousand reception places each within two weeks. On Thursday, the counter stood at more than 23 thousand, which means that the goal is within reach. State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Eric van der Burg (VVD) announced that he would ‘get or almost get’ the 25,000 on Monday.
For the time being, the number of reception places is well ahead of the number of Ukrainians who are entitled to them. After a brief spike last weekend, the number of Ukrainians entering emergency shelters has stabilized at around 500 a day. On Thursday, a total of 8,500 reception places were occupied.
In the long run, all security regions will have to realize another thousand places, but given the current low occupancy rate, the Ministry of Justice and Security does not yet consider it necessary to set a deadline for this. A number of regions had already arranged the reception places a week ago, and were then able to continue looking for new locations.
Professor of migration history Marlou Schrover is not surprised that the municipalities are so quick to come up with places for emergency shelter: ‘People think it is terrible what is happening in Ukraine. Then it is easier to realize this quickly.’ The locations for emergency shelter, such as sports halls, conference rooms and cruise ships, are also quickly available.
But Van der Burg is also preparing for a scenario ‘in which the reception of people from Ukraine will be considerably larger than the approximately 50,000 places that are currently being prepared’. In that case, for example, the option of large reception centers with ‘several thousand residents’ will be on the table. It is precisely these kinds of mega-locations that often arouse local resistance.
After the emergency shelter
The biggest challenge, however, lies in what comes after the emergency shelter. The current reception locations are not suitable for longer stays. ‘Blades are often placed, but there is no top on them,’ explains Schrover. ‘Then you live and sleep in an open space, with noise day and night, and hardly any privacy.’
Van der Burg also sees emergency shelter only as a short-term solution. ‘After that they have to end up somewhere in the country in a better place, where you can sit longer.’ For example, he is thinking of renovated office buildings. According to Schrover, these are ‘in the first instance great’ for the refugees. “But it’s not yet a house you want your children to grow up in.”
However, that is where the shoe pinches, in a country that is struggling with a housing crisis. Van der Burg wrote to the House that the reception should be organized in such a way that ‘other home seekers are not pushed out’. Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Housing supported him on Friday, and suggested three other options: the transformation of central government real estate or old barracks, and flexible housing. Each and every one of them are possibilities that are also in the picture to alleviate the most acute housing shortage that there was already.
De Jonge is well aware of the challenge he is facing: ‘It makes clear once again how great the urgency is. The order, which was already insanely large, is now even bigger.’ But if De Jonge succeeds in building 100,000 new homes every year, he will have some leeway.
Individuals
There is also the option of private accommodation. Takecarebnb has already screened more than 1,700 host families from the more than 25,000 applications. So they are ready to receive Ukrainians. But the ministry is still awaiting transfer, because these host families have not yet been able to show a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG).
Schrover also points to the example of the Yugoslav refugees in the 1990s, when thousands of host families applied, but only a handful of refugees were actually placed. “Everyone wants to help right now. But if you say: I’ll put my daughter in our room to make room, that’s not a sustainable scenario in the longer term.’
According to Takecarebnb, the screening is for selecting those kinds of cases: ‘People sometimes only realize later that someone could still be in their house in months.’ About a quarter of the applications are therefore dropped. According to Takecarebnb, a host family that has passed the screening and wants to stop after some time, can knock on the door of the municipality: ‘The municipality must always be able to offer an alternative.’