In the transit center Ariane in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, there are still about 889 Ukrainian refugees who are looking for a shelter, according to the latest data from the Red Cross Flanders. More than four in ten have been there for 26 days or longer, some even two months. The flow to the local reception initiatives is therefore still difficult.
The transit center was set up by the Red Cross, on behalf of Fedasil. The aim of the center is to create a stopover between the registration of Ukrainians at the Heysel and one of the local reception initiatives.
But the transition is becoming increasingly difficult. Earlier this month, there was a peak of more than 1,000 refugees who did not find a permanent place to stay. In a letter, Fedasil has asked the residents of the transit center to look for a solution themselves. “Since then, there has been a slight outflow, the number of refugees in Ariane has decreased by about 200 people,” said Joachim Deman, spokesperson for Red Cross Flanders.
But the flow to the municipalities continues to be difficult: after all, more than 40 percent of Ukrainians have been in the transit center for 26 days or longer. “Neither the building, nor the processes, nor the resources are provided for it”, the Red Cross previously denounced.
Flemish Minister of Housing Mattias Diependaele (N-VA) promised to consult the local authorities about this. Flanders wants to try to increase the number of reception places, after the summer period in, for example, hotels and holiday centers. In addition, two emergency villages will be created in Ghent and Flemish Brabant.
Ukrainian refugees stuck in transit center due to lack of reception facilities
Number of asylum applications in the EU fell by almost a third in April compared to March
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