– We have a safe haven. That is the absolute most important thing. And for that we are eternally grateful, but we look forward to having our own place to live, says Irina Kravchenko from Ukraine. At a reception center in Alta, the 47-year-old today shares a room with his three children, after they fled the war in their home country. But finding a separate and larger place to live has proved difficult. Municipalities across the country are now struggling with a lack of both housing and empty hands, reports the Professional Forum for Municipal Refugee Work (FFKF). They believe that inertia in the reception system at the beginning of the war is to blame. – In many cases, this led to the homes, which the municipalities had on hand, slipping away before they received the formal inquiry. And this has been the situation in several municipalities, says leader of FFKF, Vanja Merete Jensen. Vanja Marita Jensen in the Professional Forum for Municipal Refugee Work, says that several municipalities are struggling to provide housing for the Ukrainian refugees. – The waiting time has played a role, she believes. Photo: FFKF Time passed, the commitment subsided The UDI went out quite early and estimated that Norway had to receive around 60,000 Ukrainians on the run. And these were to be distributed to the municipalities. Eventually, the number was adjusted down to 45,000. When the municipalities went out and asked the inhabitants for help a few weeks into the war, the willingness to help was great. But then time passed. Now the picture is quite different. – In March, we had 50 homes on hand. Now we have three. We understand that people can not sit on empty housing units, but we have ended up in a desperate situation, says department head for settlement and integration in Alta municipality, Roger Tobiassen. Environmental worker Helene Forsberg and department head Roger Tobiassen at the refugee service in Alta municipality, are struggling to provide housing for the Ukrainian refugees. – In March, we had 50 homes on hand. Now we have three, says Tobiassen. Photo: Jan-Erik Steine / news Alta municipality has so far received 25 Ukrainian refugees. Only three of the families have been given their own place of residence. In comparison, Hammerfest municipality has received 35 and allocated housing to all. But if there are a total of 100 Ukrainian refugees, as the municipality has been predicted, they will also struggle. Business manager for the immigrant service in Hammerfest municipality, Ellen Johansen, also notices that fewer people now contact to help. – Right after the war had broken out, and we all saw it on TV, a urge was aroused in people to contribute. But since it took time before the refugees arrived, it may be that people have lost focus and that other things have taken over, says Johansen. Business manager at the immigrant service in Hammerfest municipality, Ellen Johansen, notices that fewer people now contact to help. – There were many more right after the war had broken out, she says. Photo: Hammerfest municipality Disagrees with slow pace The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) processes applications from foreigners who want to live in Norway. Once they have approved the applications, the Directorate for Integration and Diversity (IMDi) takes over. They are the ones who assign the settlement municipality to the refugees. The head of the settlement work at the UDI, Belen Birkenes, does not agree that this work has taken a long time. – We have worked at record speed to process the applications. And my opinion is that IMDi has been quick to distribute municipalities to the refugees. – Both we in the UDI and IMDi have worked at record speed. But such things often take longer than people think, says head of settlement work at the UDI, Belen Birkenes Photo: Roza Sadik Bawan / news – But sometimes there are unrealistic expectations of how fast these processes can go, says Birkenes. From military base to senior center Irina Kravchenko’s hometown, Shostka, is located in northeastern Ukraine. Not many miles from the Russian border. It was here that some of the first fighting took place when the war broke out in February. Irina and her children aged 7, 13 and 17, had been on the run for several weeks, before coming to Alta and Norway. The family of four is now accommodated on approximately 20 square meters at Vertshuset Eldresenter. And here they can stay for another two months. – Alta is a great place. Here is great nature and a lot to do. And we hear no bullets and grenades. Still, it is difficult to stay so many in one room. But we have survived living on a military base, so this is probably also going well, says Kravchenko. After several weeks on the run, Ukrainian Irina Kravchenko and her three kids are in a safe environment at the Inn elderly center in Alta. Photo: Jan-Erik Steine / news However, the situation around providing Ukrainian refugees with housing is not completely black in all of Norway, Vanja Marita Jensen from FFKF states. – Some municipalities have good access to housing and volunteers, while others are struggling. In addition, domestic animals must now also be settled. This has led to homes that were previously relevant no longer being there.
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Lack of volunteers and housing for Ukrainian refugees – news Troms and Finnmark
