The number of refugees from Ukraine who are paying for their own housing is increasing in the Czech Republic. While a year ago in June a quarter of the new arrivals paid for their housing in full and a tenth contributed to the costs, now more than half of the refugees cover their expenses and another 17 percent partially. Refugees are gradually moving into rented accommodation. One fifth of them remain in facilities. The results of the June wave of the long-term Voice of Ukrainians survey were published this week by PAQ Research (PAQ). The project, in which the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences also collaborates, was supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Labour. The survey has been conducted six times so far. Several thousand refugees who arrived in the Czech Republic last year have participated.
Housing support for refugees has changed since July. The state provides free accommodation for five months to people who can work. The solidarity allowance to households that took in newcomers has stopped. Only refugee households with an income below the minimum subsistence level and a set housing cost will receive the humanitarian benefit. According to the research team, up to 71 per cent of refugees have been affected by at least one of these changes.
Last June, 64 percent of refugees in the Czech Republic had free housing. A quarter paid for all of it and 11 per cent contributed. This June, 52 per cent of arrivals were paying for everything and another 17 per cent were contributing. 32 per cent of refugees were living for free.
A fifth of refugees were renting last June, nearly two-fifths this March and 49 per cent in June. Households where someone is earning an income are more likely to be renting. People who definitely plan to stay in the Czech Republic are also moving in more often. Refugees cite lack of money for rent and security deposit as the main obstacle to moving to a rented apartment. However, a quarter of the respondents also mentioned that the owners did not want to rent the apartment or house to Ukrainians.
A year ago, half of the newcomers found refuge in solidarity households or in their vacant apartments. Now, in June, 30 per cent of refugees were living this way. The share of free solidarity accommodation has been declining, according to the survey results. A year ago, 85 per cent of those staying in solidarity households paid nothing in June, and 55 per cent this year.
At the end of the first half of the year, a fifth of refugees were staying in facilities. Of adults with one child, 27 per cent were refugees, and one-third of single people. “People who have no income in the Czech Republic or Ukraine and rely on benefits were more likely to stay in hostels,” the authors said.
The research report mentions that about 70,000 refugees were living in facilities at the end of June. As of 24 July, there were about 24,000. It is not yet clear where people moved to after the July change in support.
Experts recommend adjusting refugees’ housing costs for the calculation of the humanitarian benefit. For small households, as with the solidarity allowance, higher amounts per person should be counted, with lower amounts for larger numbers of people. The emergency aid benefit should not be included in income. Refugees should also be able to receive a regular housing allowance after a certain period of stay, according to the researchers.
Source: CTK
