The cabinet has announced plans to compensate municipalities for the costs they have incurred to support the displaced persons from Ukraine, Omroep OOG reports.
According to State Secretary for Justice and Security Eric van der Burg, the number of Ukrainian refugees, who have found shelter in the Netherlands, is so great that the host municipalities cannot be expected to cover the extra expenses from their existing budgets. The amount a municipality will receive has yet to be determined. The cabinet assumes, however, that the total sum might reach 20.5 million euros.
The compensation is intended, for example, for children who have made use of youth care or who needed help through the Social Support Act (WMO). Earlier, the municipalities received financial support for the costs related to the reception and accommodation of the Ukrainians who fled the ongoing conflict. Local authorities get a fixed amount per refugee and compensation for the renovation of the reception facilities.
Some 64,000 Ukrainian refugees have been registered in the Netherlands since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24. The municipalities across the country have come up with own unique solutions, converting holiday camps, army barracks, boats and even disused monasteries to temporary shelters for the Ukrainian citizens.
In the Groningen area, Ukrainians are housed in a Selwerd residential complex, on a boathouse in Oosterparkwijk and in the Nescio Hotel in Haren. In addition, dozens of refugees are staying with private individuals.