Ukrainians are still allowed to live in asylum centers

Created: 05/14/2022, 10:00 am

By: Charlotte Borst

From June, the job center will be the contact point for war refugees from Ukraine.

© dpa

From June 1st, Ukrainians who have fled will be treated as recognized asylum seekers under the nationwide social law.

This poses a number of problems for the counties and municipalities.

Luckily the Free State is helping.

District

– When the job centers are responsible for war refugees from Ukraine from June 1st, the Bavarian district administrators, authorities and refugees will face a major challenge.

"The job center pays housing benefit, but does not provide people with an apartment," said Landsberg district administrator Thomas Eichinger, who is the new chairman of the Upper Bavaria district association, on Friday at a meeting of district administrators from region 14 in the Munich district office.

Relief of the coffers is of little use if people become homeless.

Counties are responsible for housing and aid payments

So far, Ukrainians have received help under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.

This means that the districts are responsible for accommodation and aid payments.

As of June 1, this is set to change after a new regulation at the federal level: Ukrainians will then be treated as recognized asylum seekers under the nationwide social law.

The job centers are responsible for the cash benefits.

When it comes to housing, the districts’ accommodation obligation does not apply.

But because there is not enough free living space, the Free State is fortunately helping out: Ukrainians are allowed to stay in accommodation for asylum seekers after June 1st.

Social housing is rare

This promise helps the municipalities around Munich a lot.

Because social housing is rare, and anyone who is looking for an apartment on their own has a hard time in the empty housing market.

And if you can't find an apartment, you can now live longer in a refugee accommodation.

Too much bureaucracy

The commitment of the Free State was the good news on Friday.

However, the "change of legal sphere" has further downsides and, in the eyes of the district administrators, leads to masses of bureaucracy and unclear responsibilities.

He is causing "a gigantic mess," said Fürstenfeldbruck District Administrator Thomas Karmasin, who is President of the Bavarian District Council.

Thousands of refugees would have to be re-registered in the respective job centers.

"Where mishaps happen, the refugees are referred back to the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act," explained Karmasin: "We don't know now whether we should register quickly or slowly."

The district administrators are demanding that the previous responsibility for the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act should be retained.

With the “change of law”, the federal government is “knowingly and deliberately driving a functioning aid system up against the wall”, says Karmasin.

Just mess

The nationwide new regulation, which is to be passed in the Bundesrat on May 20th, will only cause confusion.

“People are being pushed back and forth between two responsibilities that deal with essential things, namely housing and receiving benefits.

But we still have a glimmer of hope that reason will come.” It is much easier to leave the aid system as is, so that the counties are still responsible for aid payments and accommodation instead of forcing them into the social law.

"It would not prevent people from Ukraine, who want to work, from looking for work and housing," says Karmasin.