Ukrainian refugees face shelter cuts in Poland starting November

Poland will gradually cease operating shelters for Ukrainian refugees, with a new policy targeting most residents.

Source: Polish Radio

Details: The Polish government has approved a draft law stating that, from 1 November, collective accommodation centres for Ukrainian refugees will only accept members of protected groups: pensioners, pregnant women and disabled people.

Currently, all refugees are entitled to free residence in these centres for the first three months after arriving in Poland.

Joanna Bachanek, spokeswoman for the Masovian Voivodeship governor, explained: "After these 120 days, which are counted from the first day of entry of a Ukrainian citizen into Poland, the period of financial complicity begins."

More than half of the current residents of collective accommodation centres in Poland have stayed beyond the free period, paying extra for accommodation and food.

Bachanek added that approximately 3,000 people currently reside in these centres in the Masovian Voivodeship, with over 1,000 additional places available.

Government spokesman Adam Szłapka noted that assistance for Ukrainian refugees is evolving to meet changing needs: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration believes that now is the moment when this type of support can be stopped."

For around 6,000 refugees outside protected groups, the Together to Independence programme, funded by the EU, will provide subsidies for renting apartments and cover the costs of Polish language courses.

Background: In the Netherlands, municipalities are forced to refuse asylum to Ukrainian refugees due to a lack of accommodation.

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