UTRECHT – Eighty refugees have now reported to the emergency shelter in the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, but they will not spend the night in the event hall. A better shelter for them has already been found elsewhere. The hope is that another place can be found for all Ukrainian refugees who report in the coming hours and that the camp beds in the Jaarbeurs will therefore remain empty next night.
The municipality previously announced that it would prefer to accommodate the refugees in a place where they can find more privacy and peace. Nevertheless, the Jaarbeurs has been prepared for emergency shelter since last night, in case it should be necessary. There are now 370 camp beds in the event hall.
Ukrainian refugees received in Jaarbeurs Utrecht
It is still unclear whether the beds in the hall will indeed remain unused today. If refugees from Ukraine still report to the Jaarbeurs late in the evening and it is not possible to immediately find another place in the region, they may still spend a night at the Jaarbeurs. All beds have a blanket and pillow ready, and things like toothpaste.
Even after today, the Jaarbeurs will remain available for emergency care. Even then it is only a matter of being able to accommodate people very temporarily. “They can then catch their breath there, but after that they are supposed to be transferred to a shelter for a longer period of time with better facilities.”
Aid to Ukrainian refugees
The refugees who report to the Jaarbeurs are not only accommodated in the city of Utrecht, but also in other places in the region. Several people who offered shelter places came to the Jaarbeurs today. “At home, in hotels, at B&Bs or in garden houses”, a spokesperson for the Safety Region said. How long the shelter is possible also differs. “A hotel just reported that it has ten rooms available until May.”
Refugees as well as people offering shelter are screened to ensure that “everyone ends up in a good place”. After that, it is checked whether there is a match using the expertise of various organisations, including the Council for Refugees, the municipality and the Security Region.