The upcoming move of Ukrainian refugees to a former office building in the Alkmaar Wognumsebuurt is causing a lot of unrest. The renovated building can accommodate 250 refugees who are currently accommodated in hotels or with private individuals. According to Sander Ruder of hotel Stad en Land, the families are not waiting for that. “They just feel a bit at home here now.”
It will be from next week office building will be taken into use and the first refugees will move. Seventy refugees are now being accommodated in the hotel at the station. According to Sander Ruder, many families prefer to stay where they are. “They have their own bathroom here and a lot of privacy. In the new building they have to share the bathroom and kitchen.”
disabled daughter
Andrii and Anna Okhremchuk fled from Kyiv to the Netherlands a year ago with their four children. At the moment they have two rooms with a kitchenette in the hotel. “It really feels like home to us,” says Anna. “The owners of the hotel do everything to make us feel at home.”
So they don’t have to think about moving. They are especially concerned about their disabled daughter Mila: “She has epileptic seizures, is sensitive to stimuli and will soon have to undergo surgery. Moving is extremely stressful.”
“We haven’t seen our family for a long time, only online, and that’s quite difficult sometimes.”
The moving worries coincide with the day the war started. The Okhremchuk family never expected it to take this long. “We took a small bag with us and thought we could go back home after a few months. We haven’t seen our family for a long time, only online, and sometimes that’s quite difficult.”
NH News visited the Anna and Andrii. View the report below:
Text continues below the video.
Unrest among Ukrainian refugees due to relocation: “It causes a lot of stress” – NH News
According to alderman Joël Voordewind of Alkmaar, the refugees will actually benefit from the move. “People can cook for themselves in the new accommodation, have more privacy and the opportunity to build a family life. More facilities will also be bundled in this building, such as language lessons and help with integration into Dutch society.”
“We’re Gonna Miss Them”
About 200 Ukrainian refugees are currently being accommodated by private individuals, and another 250 in the hotels Stad en Land and the Rijper Islands. The renovated office building is equipped for 250 refugees. We will see later if more places are needed.
The departure of the Ukrainian guests will take some getting used to for hotel owner Richard Ruder. “We have experienced a lot of highs and lows. It was chaos in the beginning, but everyone has now found their place. It feels like one family and we will miss them terribly.”
Building Wognumsebuurt
Insurance company Athora owns the office building behind the Alkmaar railway station. In a video A tour of the renovated building is already given.
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