No more places: Dutch cities struggle to accommodate Ukrainian refugees
Dutch municipalities say they can no longer accommodate more Ukrainian refugees arriving under temporary protection programs. The Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) described the situation as critical and called on the national government to intervene by providing additional support and long-term plans.
According to the association, about 300 Ukrainians arrive in the Netherlands every week, but almost all housing options are already full. Most of the arrivals are women with children, while some men come in search of job opportunities. In the city of Utrecht, officials recently refused to register Ukrainian refugees for the first time, warning that if more funding is not provided, they may have to close the current reception centers.
Many shelters are not owned by municipalities, which means rent must be paid for them. Expanding capacity is also difficult, as converting former office buildings into shelters requires financial guarantees that local governments cannot always provide. In Dordrecht near Rotterdam, authorities say they regularly have to turn away new arrivals, and they are also unsure how to deal with half of the Ukrainians already residing there, as the lease for the main building ends in February, and no alternative has yet been found.
Legally, municipalities cannot refuse housing applicants. In Groningen, Ukrainian citizens challenged a rejection decision in court and won, forcing the city to appeal. This legal pressure increases the suffering of local governments that are already facing limited resources.
Municipalities are calling for more funding and a long-term national plan. The Ministry of Asylum and Migration has acknowledged the problem and confirmed that it is studying possible solutions, including allowing joint payment of housing costs by Ukrainians who have an income. The Netherlands currently ranks fourth in the European Union in terms of the number of Ukrainian refugees per capita, after the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany.