2023-06-13 19:44:43
published
Niederbipp BE“Confronted with the bare facts” – there are supposed to be 120 asylum seekers for every 180 inhabitants
The canton of Bern decided that new asylum accommodation should be built in the 180-person village of Wolfisberg from August. The decision met with a lack of understanding from the community.
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120 asylum seekers will soon be given temporary accommodation in the former Alpenblick Hotel in Wolfisberg.
20min/Mara Wehofsky
This is met with criticism from the community and the population, because: Wolfisberg has just 180 residents.
Tamedia AG/Olaf Nörrenberg
“We were faced with bare facts here,” says Niederbipper Mayor Sibylle Schönmann to 20 minutes.
Tamedia AG/ Beat Mathys
That’s what it’s regarding
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An asylum home is to be built in Wolfisberg, a district of Niederbipp with 180 inhabitants.
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120 people should be accommodated there.
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There is criticism: the decision was made at short notice and without taking the community into account. In addition, the municipality does not have enough money.
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The decision was also met with dissatisfaction among the population.
Accommodation for 120 asylum seekers is to be built in the former Alpenblick Hotel in Wolfisberg, a district of Niederbipp. From August 2023, it will be managed by ORS Service AG staff for a period of three years. The decision was met with criticism in the village and in the community. The «Berner Zeitung» was the first to report the case.
“Faced with bare facts”
“We were faced with bare facts here,” says Niederbipper Mayor Sibylle Schönmann to 20 minutes. According to Schönmann, the residents are not used to asylum seekers in their village. In addition, due to the different nationalities, language problems are to be expected and there are hardly any employment opportunities in the village.
Financially, the arrival of so many refugees would entail extreme additional costs that the municipality might not bear: “For example, there are no connections to public transport,” says Schönmann. The canton expects the municipality to cover the costs of transporting the new school children. “I’m currently counting on at least 100,000 francs for this alone. In addition, we are actually running an austerity program.” The municipality only recently increased taxes and the population voted for the renovation and expansion of the school building and there is a lack of teachers.
“Help from the canton is still in the stars”
“The main goal should be the integration of these people. That means offering language courses and job opportunities,” says Schönmann. “We need money for this, which we don’t have at the moment.” She hopes for the financial support of the canton of Bern. “We are in the information phase. How exactly the canton’s help will look like is still in the stars.”
According to Schönmann, the municipal council is already working on a political discussion regarding the “no gos” of the decision and what the municipality needs to implement it. “We have nothing once morest foreigners, but the canton’s approach offends us.”
“I think the relationship is crazy”
The residents seem visibly surprised by the decision from Bern. “This is a first for us,” says a resident of 20 minutes. He wonders how the refugees should occupy themselves on site. «What does that do to people who have nothing to do day in, day out? I would find concrete solutions for the financial and social challenges exciting.»
“If suddenly there are twice as many people here, how will Wolfisberg change?” says another young resident with two children of kindergarten age. “I think the ratio of 180 to 120 people is just crazy.”
“Imagine if people were stranded at the train stations”
“In general, it can be stated that no municipality reacts with pleasure when a new collective accommodation is to be opened,” says Gundekar Giebel, spokesman for the health, social and integration department of the canton of Bern. The canton is responsible for providing enough accommodation for asylum seekers. On the question of whether the canton has any concerns regarding the number of residents and asylum seekers in Wolfisberg, Giebel says: “So far we have always found solutions to create a coexistence.”
It is particularly difficult to find enough accommodation. “We are therefore happy when objects are offered to us, as is the case now. Above all, closed hotels are well suited as collective accommodation.” If people had a place, then the canton might systematically tackle the other points such as language acquisition, integration and job search. “Imagine people being stranded at the train stations,” said the media spokesman.
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