Where to build, when to live? Practical challenges with housing ukrainian refugees in danish municipalities

More Ukrainian refugees were moved to Danish municipalities in the first four months after the war than the total number of refugees Denmark recognized in 2014-2016.

Ukrainian refugees – like other refugees – are guaranteed temporary housing in a Danish municipality, when they first arrive. However, the combination of the very low benefits all refugees in Denmark are allowed with a very narrow low-cost housing market has created significant problems for Danish municipalities in finding housing the refugees can afford. In addition, the volatile situation in Ukraine itself and continuing uncertainty about the legal status of Ukrainian refugees beyond the scope of the Danish Special Act has made the situation. This has resulted in a large variety of housing being used from temporary pavilions to closed-down welfare institutions to private lodging.

This small project, funded by the Crown Princess Mary Center, examines key challenges experienced by actors in the reception and housing of Ukrainian refugees in three Danish municipalities. In three phases, the project 1. maps key issues in the reception of refugees, drawing on historical parallels with e.g. the arrival of Bosnians in the 1990s; 2. examines concrete reception policies in three Danish municipalities, documenting different approaches and contexts; and 3. facilitates knowledge-sharing between the three municipalities in a common workshop.

External

• Michael Ulfstjerne, CEO of Emergency Architecture and Human Rights