The war in Ukraine is not over, and for some Belgians, welcoming Ukrainians for several months has become complicated. In some cases, tension rises between them. These hosts therefore feel left to their own devices in this generous task.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, 40,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Belgium. They are often cared for by Belgian families, and between the welcoming and the welcomed, sometimes the tension rises.
This is the case of Charlotte who welcomes an elderly man, in the province of Namur. Today, Charlotte wants the refugee to contribute €120 to his rent: “He gets 729€ (from the authorities, editor’s note) because he is considered cohabiting. I just ask 30€ per week so that he can participate but inevitably it costs us much more” she tells us. According to her, this Ukrainian sees his host as “a 5-star hotel”: “He gets up, the table is set, he has lunch, and he goes back to his room. I call him for dinner and I have to serve him last because otherwise he eats right away and then he leaves and goes up to his room and comes back for supper“testifies Charlotte.
Today, the host would like to free this room, and is actively looking for another accommodation for the Ukrainian she is hosting, but she does not feel helped by the authorities. “It’s ‘manage yourself’, I had however specified that my help was limited in time. I got this gentleman back on track for all his paperwork. I said I wanted the room back I was told ‘then you can drive him back to the Tabora reception center” she laments.
For the Ukrainian interpreter and jurist, Anastasia Koka “it should be remembered that Ukrainians are Europeans, and problems of this kind can be linked, quite simply, to the education of the person” she explains, “imagine, in families sometimes cohabitation does not happen easily, and here we are dealing with people who have been forced to flee their homes“.
Is the aid provided for the hosts sufficient?
According to the Walloon Minister for Local Authorities, Christophe Collignon (PS), “it is radically impossible to create thousands of reception places by snapping your fingers. Especially since we had to manage the floods in Wallonia and relocate thousands of people“This is the reason why the Walloon authorities have chosen to ask the population to welcome Ukrainians into their homes:”We have made standard contracts, in particular, which allow the host to receive 20% of the income of the hosted“. The minister also announced a second phase in this strategy: “We are working on the mobilization of collective accommodation“
The secretary of state for asylum, Sammy Mahdi (CD&V), believes that Wallonia and Brussels are not doing enough to create places outside families. For MEP Assita Kanko (NVA), the Flemish strategy was quite different: “In Flanders, the emphasis was immediately placed on collective reception and organized by the public authorities. There is enough space, it goes really well (…) It’s true that citizen solidarity is good, but the government has to take over“. Indeed, a host village has been built in Flanders, although some Flemings host Ukrainians too.