Overcrowded arrival center in Hietzing: refugees without accommodation!

Overcrowded arrival center in Hietzing: refugees without accommodation!

Hietzing, Wien, Österreich - In Hietzing, the situation in the arrival center for Ukrainian refugees continues to come to a head. As meinzirk.at , the capacity of the center has now been fully exhausted, which has dramatic consequences for the arriving people. Last Friday, a rattling sound of reality was loud when three families with a total of 20 children were rejected, since there was simply no more space.

The despair among the refugees is noticeable. Some were on the street when opening the community center of "Train of Hope" without accommodation. The organization did not offer an emergency sleeping place, but actively helped search for alternatives. After intensive efforts, those affected could finally be accommodated in another urban facility. Families said that they had only arrived the day before and were confronted directly with the sober reality.

growing need for accommodation

The increase in the newly arriving people is also confirmed by the Volkshilfe, who looks after the arrival center in Hietzing. The persistent situation in the Ukraine War continues to increase the need for accommodation. In Austria there are only two arrival centers for Ukrainian refugees, one in Hietzing and the other in Vorarlberg.

nina Andresen of "Train of Hope" expressed hope of increased cooperation between the federal states, especially with regard to the upcoming state refugee conference on June 3. Adequate solutions can only be found through joint efforts to meet the increasing need.

refugee situations worldwide

The situation in Hietzing does not stand by itself - it is part of a larger, alarming trend. At the end of 2023 there was a record number of 118 million people on the run worldwide, which is an increase in refugee figures in the past ten years, especially through war in Ukraine. In Europe too, the topic is increasingly pressing, such as Statista where the EU is under pressure to find solutions.

Especially the Schengen area, whose Member States enjoy freedom of travel through the 1985 agreement, is faced with massive challenges. Despite the possibility of moving freely within Europe, border protection remains a central topic to the outside world, which is influenced by the different high number of refugees and the associated different political approaches.

The humanitarian situation in many crisis areas, the increase in refugees over the Mediterranean routes and the discussions about the reform of the common European asylum system underline the complexity of the topic. How the EU wants to deal with the current situation is unclear in view of the increasing challenges - but it is important that the needs of the refugees must not be pushed into the background.

A rapid, but above all human solution is required so that stories like those of the families concerned do not become everyday life.