The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, presented, on Wednesday, 6 July “key principles and practices” to help families hosting Ukrainian refugees and ensure that private housing solutions are adequate and safe.
The “Safe Homes” guidance highlights local best practices, while the supply of accommodation “varies considerably from one Member State to another” and private hosts provide between 20 to 90 per cent of accommodations to Ukrainian refugees depending on the Member State.
Citizens who open their doors often have practical questions. “Some countries set up support systems and establish a question and answer guide for hosts and guests. Individuals can find, for example, information on how to provide shelter, what to look out for and what facilities are available for displaced people from Ukraine” writes the Commission, for example in terms of health or education.
“It is important to set the conditions of stay early on to avoid misunderstandings and fatigue”, the document says. And “a written contract can help”, according to the Commission.
Clarity on the length of stay is also important, with the definition of a minimum accommodation period. “Incentives to house people for a longer period of time may be useful”.
Some Member States also have hotlines that hosts and guests can contact in case of problems.
People “must have the possibility of alternative accommodation, if the problems cannot be solved”. Subsidies may also be considered for lodgers who pay ‘rent’ or for private hosts, as is also done in several Member States.
More than seven million refugees from Ukraine have arrived in the EU since 24 February, half of whom have since returned to Ukraine.
Link to the document: https://aeur.eu/f/2ih (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)