In Poland, accommodation centers for Ukrainian refugees will be chargeable from March 2023. According to the Polish government, this is a solution to save money, while the country is facing many economic difficulties and has hosted more than a million refugees since the start of the war in Ukraine. But this new law is not to the liking of refugee aid organizations.
With our correspondent in Warsaw, Martin Chabal
Charging 40 zlotys a day, that is to say almost 10 euros, for a bed in a gymnasium, often separated from the others by a simple curtain, is immoral according to many refugee aid associations. According to them, “this is basic humanitarian aid which should remain freeand still concerns nearly 80,000 Ukrainians in Poland.
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Towards a large number of refugees on the streets
But from March, a refugee who has stayed more than four months in an accommodation center will have to pay his rent. This is what the Polish Parliament voted on Tuesday, December 13. A solution supposed to accelerate the process of integration of Ukrainians: for example, they will have to find a job to pay the rent.
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But the associations fear that some refugees will not be able to find a job. Many suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress, or more simply because they have no means of getting to work, since the centers are often located miles away from public transport. And the law does not provide anything for those who will not be able to pay the rent. It is feared that many will end up on the street.
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