The arrival of displaced people from Ukraine increased the need for coordination between local and central authorities and cooperation with NGOs.

Coordination between local and central authorities concerned, for example, the identification of available spaces. In Styria, Austria, the Integration Centre Styria reported that many municipalities notified it of available housing capacity [7] Austria, consultation with a representative of the Integration Centre Styria, 24 January 2023.
. In Belgium, local authorities indicated their offer of private and public crisis accommodation via the regional government to the federal asylum agency (Fedasil). It needed the consent of the local coordinator before assigning places to new arrivals [8] Belgium, consultation with the coordinator of the Public Centre for Social Welfare (PCSW), Bruges, 23 January 2023.
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Whereas many displaced people decided for themselves where to go, central and local authorities took measures to distribute new arrivals across the country. In Germany and Sweden, the central authorities assigned temporary protection beneficiaries to regions according to quotas, considering individual circumstances as far as possible. City authorities in Gothenburg reported difficulties in getting information about this from the Swedish Migration Agency [9] Sweden, Gothenburg, consultation with a representative of the Department for Assigned Housing, 12 December 2022.
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In Sweden, displaced people are generally not eligible for housing for homeless people. Beneficiaries choosing to organise housing elsewhere may lose their eligibility to financial assistance depending on their choice of location.

Coordination at municipal level involved different services. The Sint-Jans-Molenbeek municipality in the Brussels Region, Belgium, created a Housing Advisory Council, which brings together all the relevant operational actors and municipal services to reflect on questions regarding housing and formulate solutions [10] Belgium, Bruxelles Logement, ‘Report of good practices based on the outcome of a conference of local actors’ (‘Recueil des bonnes pratiques de l’hébergement temporaire’), November 2022. Not published.
. The National Association of Italian Municipalities issued guidelines to support the social services of municipalities that host temporary protection beneficiaries. For example, the document explains how to access funds.

Not all cities relied on coordination mechanisms to the same degree. The city authorities in Gothenburg, Sweden, had no clear forms of collaboration within the city to respond to temporary protection arrivals [11] Sweden, consultation with a representative of the Department for assigned housing, Gothenburg, 12 December 2022.
. Malmö, on the other hand, relied on a contingency plan for cooperation with municipal organisations. It had developed the plan in response to the large-scale arrival of refugees in 2015. The plan defines tasks, forums, staffing issues, and logistical and legal issues related to the security of premises. In 2022, the city set up an operational group involving those who managed these tasks in 2015, to respond to the arrivals from Ukraine [12] Sweden, email response of the Unit for Assigned Housing, Department of Labour Market and Social Welfare, Malmö, 8 December 2022.
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Cooperation with NGOs allowed accommodation to be available at short notice. Many local authorities strengthened existing agreements for the reception of refugees. On behalf of the Vienna Social Fund in Austria, for example, the NGO Diakonie Refugee Service coordinates the examination and arrangement of private housing pledges, because it is expert in the field of housing [13] Austria, consultation with the Vienna Social Fund, 24 January 2023.
. In Graz in Styria, NGOs also provide housing funded by the regions within the basic care system [14] Austria, consultation with the Integration Centre Styria, 24 January 2023.
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In France, each prefecture, a regional administration of the Ministry of the Interior, designates an NGO to refer displaced people to accommodation providers, ensure the quality of arrival arrangements and provide follow-up and social support. The NGO, the host and the accommodated person(s) sign a tripartite agreement, described in a circular of the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Social Economy, specifying the obligations of each party.

Stuttgart, Germany, adjusted municipal structures in response to the large-scale arrivals of refugees in 2015–2016. That facilitated fast cooperation between volunteers and the city administration.

In Naples, Italy, NGOs provide information on housing options and operate service desks together with local authorities. The arrangements are based on adapted EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund projects, such as the Impact Project, extending support to displaced people from Ukraine, including housing opportunities [15] Italy, interview with the two representatives of Cidis Onlus, 9 March 2023.
. Gothenburg, Sweden, managed to swiftly open two evacuation shelters (Skyddsvärnet and Räddningsmissionen) based on partnerships with NGOs [16] Sweden, response from the Department for Assigned Housing, Gothenburg, 12 December 2022.
, and to facilitate private accommodation as required.

Private offers made up to 90 % of available places, for example in Brussels and Berlin [17] Belgium, interview with Coordinator of the Brussels Capital Region, October 2022; Berlin Senate, ‘Aktionsplan Ukraine in Berlin’.
. Local authorities supported private housing arrangements through several measures, including counselling, providing model contracts and translations, and offering subsidies, guarantees and mediation. The following examples indicate the variety of actions taken.

In Vienna, the NGO Diakonie Refugee Service, supported by social services, runs a telephone hotline for ‘housing donors’. In Graz, the city housing office covers the operating, heating and electricity costs of 20 municipal flats provided to displaced people based on a ‘temporary contract’ (Prekariumsvertrag) [18] Austria, Civil Code, § 974.
between the city and the displaced people. Unlike a tenancy, such a temporary contract is provided for a short time without rent charges and can be terminated at any time without notice. The temporary contract is in both German and Ukrainian.

Similarly, in Belgium, France and Slovakia, local authorities have facilitated contracts with private hosts.

The Brussels government, for example, provides a model temporary occupation agreement (available in Dutch, English and French). The agreement sets out the main obligations of the parties, the duration and the maximum contribution that can be requested from temporary protection beneficiaries (€ 150 a month for an adult). The region also provides a model cohabitation charter that can inform the practical arrangements of the parties. Bruges organised info sessions for potential host families, offers the host families a volunteer agreement (including civil liability insurance) and can provide a model user agreement in Dutch to be signed by the host family and the temporary protection beneficiaries [19] Belgium, interview with the coordinator of the PCSW, Bruges, 23 January 2023.
. The benefit for hosts is the guarantee that the social services will offer administrative and practical support and can take (financial) responsibility if necessary and mediate in the event of conflict [20] Belgium, consultation with an assistant coordinator of the Ukraine team at the PCSW of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Brussels, 8 February 2023.
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In France, the NGO designated by the prefecture drafts a tripartite agreement, including the term of the contract and the period of notice in French. Translation depends on the personal initiative of Ukrainian- or Russian-speaking staff.

In Nitra, Slovakia, the municipality collects private housing pledges and helps accommodation providers with contracts and other formalities through COMIN, the contact point for arrivals providing community-organised services [21] Slovakia, interview with a representative of the COMIN centre, Nitra, 25 January 2023.
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Local authorities organised the provision of information on housing options for temporary protection beneficiaries through specific websites, online housing tools, counselling and hotline offers.

In Belgium (see also ‘Promising practice’ box below), the Brussels regional government created an online platform called ‘Bemyguest.brussels’. Through it, host families can register accommodation pledges and get support. In Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, a dedicated team of PCSW staff helps hosts and displaced people alike with questions concerning housing in the municipality [22] Belgium, interview with the assistant coordinator of the Ukraine team at the PCSW of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, 8 February 2023.
. The municipality also created a meeting point for temporary protection beneficiaries in a local community centre, where the PCSW housing team is regularly available.

In Ireland, local authorities are appealing to people who have unoccupied properties to offer them as temporary homes for at least six months. The main government website highlights it. Under this initiative, local authorities connect with owners to assess suitability, and then make it possible for temporary protection beneficiaries to live there.

Early referral to accommodation was made possible in Lublin, Poland. The municipal police (city guard) and the City Crisis Management Centre actively anticipated the arrival of displaced people in need of housing. They monitored the situation at the main entrances to the city, in streets and in car parks and directed those in need to places of temporary accommodation, according to the local authorities.

In Slovakia, the Human Rights League provides temporary protection beneficiaries with information on accommodation. It tells them what financial contributions of the Ministry of the Interior makes to accommodation, and how to distinguish private rental advertisements from those by real estate companies [23] Slovakia, consultation with a representative of the Human Rights League, 23 January 2023.
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Privately provided accommodation could not be sustained over time. Local authorities therefore sought to scale up municipal capacity to accommodate arrivals beyond emergency accommodation. They did this through innovative partnerships, increasing the density of occupancy of existing facilities, regulatory exemptions, and simplified administrative procedures for acquiring, repurposing or revitalising new facilities.

Bruges, Belgium, made collective accommodation places available based on temporary agreements with private partners, including former monasteries and hospitals. While this was a quick response to an emergency, most of these collective facilities closed after some months [24] Belgium, interviews with the PCSW President and coordinators of the City Council and the PCSW, Bruges, 10 January 2023.
. The city therefore increased its capacity through housing that the social housing company Vivendo temporarily made available. This included social housing that originally had been planned to be repurposed. In this way, the city plans to maintain the same housing capacity when collective facilities close [25] Belgium, interview with the coordinator of the City Council, Bruges, 27 January 2023.
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The Brussels Region joined forces with civil society, Ukrainian diaspora organisations and the private real estate sector to identify and adapt temporarily available buildings, creating 3,600 places in collective facilities. To simplify the creation of collective facilities, the Brussels government allowed a temporary exemption from requesting an urban planning permit for certain activities such as changing the purpose of a building or constructing temporary light or modular buildings or temporary infrastructure.

Stuttgart, Germany, scaled down the use of private offers and increased the use of reception facilities. About half (3,500) of the registered temporary protection beneficiaries were staying in collective facilities by January 2023 [26] Germany, consultation with Department of Social Affairs and Integration, Stuttgart, January 2023.
. The City Department of Social Affairs rented hostels and hotels and converted two halls into reception facilities. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Justice and Migration issued a decree on 22 August 2022 allowing the temporary reduction of the minimum living and sleeping space within refugee accommodation facilities [27] Germany, consultation with Department of Social Affairs and Integration, Stuttgart, January 2023.
.

Berlin similarly expanded its accommodation capacity. It used a tent for up to 900 people, rented hostels and hotels temporarily, hosted more people in existing accommodation, simplified the procedure for acquiring new accommodation and used mass accommodation such as lightweight halls at the former Tegel airport for 3,000 displaced people and in the hangars at the former Tempelhof airport [28] Germany, Berlin Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social Affairs, reply to a written request, 19/12793, 22 August 2022, pp. 10–11.
. Human rights organisations criticised the lack of privacy, the security risks and the extra burden collective facilities put on the infrastructure of those districts.

Local authorities in Katowice and Warsaw, Poland, revitalised empty municipal and other buildings to make them usable for short- and medium-term accommodation. The University of Economics in Katowice, for example, is lending free of charge dormitories that have not been used for three years. In Warsaw, municipal authorities adapted office buildings for medium-term accommodation needs, an effective use of available premises [29] Poland, interview with the Assistance and Social Projects Department of Warsaw City Council, 21 February 2023.
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Major challenges for local authorities were the uncertainty of arrival numbers, the duration of their stay and whether temporary protection and the related reimbursement schemes for private accommodation providers would be extended, and, if so, for how long. In addition, fragmented data on locally residing temporary protection beneficiaries further affected their ability to plan.

For example, in Vienna, Austria, a major challenge to planning accommodation was the lack of reliable forecasts of housing needs [30] Austria, information provided by the Vienna Social Fund, 24 January 2023.
. Similarly, Bruges, Belgium, had no clear overview of the number of temporary protection beneficiaries planning to stay for long in the city [31] Belgium, written explanation by a guide in diversity, Bruges, 2 February 2023.
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A municipal official in Trutnov, Czechia, illustrated the difficulty of keeping track of fluctuating numbers of temporary protection beneficiaries [32] Czechia, interview with a municipal official from Trutnov who coordinated most municipally led initiatives concerning displaced persons from Ukraine, 17 February 2023.
. When repairing and temporarily evacuating a collective facility, local authorities found that only about 60 % of the people registered were still living at the site. At the same time, the municipality once only had two hours to find housing for 30 displaced people arriving from Prague.

Local authorities in Saaremaa, Estonia, did not know how many temporary protection beneficiaries the Social Insurance Board would be assigned to their location [33] Estonia, response to information request, Saaremaa Municipality Government, 12 January 2023.
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In Uckermark, Germany, most temporary protection beneficiaries assigned to the district did not arrive on site directly, unlike in Berlin or Stuttgart. However, the dynamic situation meant that the admission quota was adjusted five times during 2022 and was not entirely reliable as a basis for planning [34] Germany, interview with the District Department of Social Affairs, Uckermark, 16 December 2022.
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In Bratislava and Nitra, Slovakia, landlords and temporary protection beneficiaries were unsure how long the housing benefit would be paid or whether temporary protection would be extended. That affected housing security [35] Slovakia, interview with a representative of Mareena, Bratislava, 27 January 2023; interview with a representative of the Human Rights League, Bratislava, 23 January 2023.
. The cities have only partial data on temporary protection residents, as many stay in private accommodation (Bratislava) [36] Slovakia, interview with a representative of Mareena, Bratislava, 27 January 2023.
, their documents mention another city indicated by the employment agency (Nitra), or the Ministry of Transport does not share data it collects on people staying in hostels (Nitra) [37] Slovakia, interview with a representative of the COMIN centre, Nitra, 25 January 2023.
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Human and financial resources were stretched to their limits and beyond to organise adequate housing solutions. In Brussels, Belgium, this resulted for example in some municipalities not managing to use or support the housing-matching tool Bemyguest.brussels [38] Belgium, consultation with the coordinator at the Brussels Capital Region, Brussels, 31 January 2023.
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Local authorities in Stuttgart, Germany, could not accept many private flat offers because arranging the temporary renting, furnishing and occupation of individual apartments required disproportionate administrative resources. Conditions imposed by landlords often did not offer the flexibility the city administration needed or the flats did not meet the standard required.

Recruiting and keeping trained staff was challenging, making it difficult to deliver services. In Ireland, for example, local development companies seemed to be more agile and quick to react [39] Ireland, consultation with a representative from South Dublin County Council, 23 January 2023.
. This was also the case in Gothenburg, Sweden [40] Sweden, information provided by the Department for Assigned Housing, Gothenburg, 12 December 2022.
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Privately provided accommodation is indispensable everywhere. However, local authorities have to check it to prevent risks of fraud, abuse, exploitation and human trafficking, and to process reimbursements. That is an administrative burden.

Local authorities responded to relocation needs arising for various reasons. For example, private offers were time-limited, people moved from emergency to more permanent accommodation, moved onwards to other locations or other Member States, or returned to and from Ukraine (see consultation finding box below). This created challenges in managing accommodation and school places, keeping track of eligibility to benefits and ensuring general integration.

Temporary protection beneficiaries benefiting from basic care in Vienna, Austria, risk losing their place of residence in organised accommodation if they leave the city or Austria for more than three days. In addition, the authorities can reclaim wrongly received benefits when beneficiaries return to Austria [60] Austria, information provided by the Vienna Social Fund, 24 January 2023.
. Moreover, participation in integration measures such as German language courses or regular gainful employment is difficult in such cases. People displaced from Ukraine who repeatedly return to Vienna can make use of the counselling services that the counselling centre offers.

In Poland, displaced people lose housing benefits if they spend more than one month outside Poland, but they can apply to renew their status upon return. When they need to move within the Member State or location because accommodation closes or is inadequate, social workers are usually the main point of contact. Local authorities in Austria[61] Austria, consultation with a member of the Integration Centre Styria on 24 January 2023.
and Germany reported increasing moves from private to public accommodation as privately provided accommodation could no longer be sustained. In Bruges, Belgium, social services had to relocate on average four or five cases per week in January 2023 [62] Belgium, interview with the coordinator of the PCSW, Bruges, 23 January 2023.
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Relocation needs in Dublin, Ireland, arose when temporary protection beneficiaries had to leave student accommodation as the academic year began, or had to leave hotels at the start of the tourist season. Local authorities in Kerry relocated temporary protection beneficiaries, including many women and children, to new accommodation in the Killarney area because there was an acute shortage of accommodation nationally. Local communities in Killarney argued for them to stay in alternative accommodation. Eventually, such accommodation could be found. Beneficiary families expressed fear of losing jobs and having to move children integrated in local schools. An NGO expert highlighted the negative impact of these moves on children [63] Ireland, consultation with a representative from Educate Together, 15 February 2023.
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In Naples, Italy, displaced people had to move from an emergency reception facility to another, according to an NGO. Mediators had to intervene because there was no explanation, and no care had been provided for already existing trauma [64] Italy, interview with the head of the Global Inequality and Migration Unit of ActionAid, Naples, 12 January 2023.
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Adequately accommodating displaced people with specific needs was challenging because capacity was limited, vulnerabilities were identified unsystematically or late, and domestic legal provisions were vague.

In Vienna, Austria, each facility run by foundations, such as Diakonie or Caritas, has a care concept specially adapted to people displaced from Ukraine. Where necessary, they can provide mobile care services and can admit temporary protection beneficiaries, as basic care clients, to care or residential facilities for people with disabilities, after assessing their needs and subject to availability [65] Austria, email from the Vienna Social Fund, 24 January 2023.
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Berlin, Germany, decided in April 2022 to set up a clearing centre at the arrival centre to pre-screen people for vulnerabilities to consider in allocation. However, this had not yet been implemented by January 2023 [66] Germany, interview with a representative of the Berlin Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social Affairs, January 2023.
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In Dublin, Ireland, children with autism are not considered to have severe disabilities and are therefore not exempt from having to leave university and tourist facilities [67] Ireland, interview with a representative of South Dublin County Council, 23 January 2023.
. Only those with serious medical conditions were allowed to stay in the city in alternative accommodation. Conditions at temporary facilities such as the Citywest Transit Hub were found to be unsafe, particularly for children, and subsequently closed.

In Rome, Italy, around 120 people with serious vulnerabilities or disabilities, mainly elderly women, could be accommodated thanks to ad hoc agreements with organisations supporting access to suitable housing. A multidisciplinary team identified their specific needs and health conditions during interviews at arrival and reception desks [68] Italy, interview with the head of the Social Policy Department of Rome, 5 December 2022.
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Warsaw, Poland, hosted about 2,000 people at medium-term accommodation centres in January 2023, including many vulnerable people [69] Poland, interview with a representative of the Assistance and Social Projects Department of Warsaw City Council, 20 February 2023.
. As of March 2023, residents need to pay for their stay from 120 days after their first entry into Poland, unless they are in vulnerable situations. As most residents are vulnerable, this is difficult to implement.

In Bratislava, Slovakia, local authorities could accommodate vulnerable people only in mainstream facilities during the first months. Those were not always adequate [70] Slovakia, head of the Integration Department, City Office of Bratislava, 19 January 2023.
. Facilities included a dormitory specifically dedicated to mothers with children, and one wheelchair accessible facility [71] Slovakia, representative of the District Office, Bratislava, 27 January 2023.
. In Nitra, some dormitories refuse to accommodate children below the age of 15 [72] Slovakia, interview with a representative of the COMIN centre, Nitra, 25 January 2023.
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Emergency accommodation was based on short-term agreements and unsuitable for longer stays (see survey finding box), and many private hosts started to reach their limits. Local authorities therefore had to phase in alternative housing solutions step by step, in line with the European Commission’s Safe Homes guidance. This primarily entailed an increased focus on longer-term assistance schemes; private housing market solutions, including cooperation with real estate agencies and advice to beneficiaries on how to search and find private housing market solutions; and construction of modular housing to secure longer-term housing, going beyond six months.

Social housing schemes play a limited role for displaced people from Ukraine, according to the research in most Member States covered. That is due to strict criteria to access them and long waiting times.

In Vienna, Austria, temporary protection beneficiaries can access social housing if, among other things, they have had their main residence in Vienna for two years [73] Austria, information provided by the Vienna Social Fund, 24 January 2023.
. In Belgium, temporary protection beneficiaries are eligible for social housing, but the waiting time is several years [74] Belgium, interview with the assistant coordinator of the Ukraine team at the PCSW of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, 8 February 2023.
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In Poland, temporary protection beneficiaries covered by the Special Act can immediately apply for social housing on an equal footing with Polish citizens. The Law on Protection regulates the situation of non-Ukrainian temporary protection beneficiaries but does not provide for access to social housing. In practice, social housing is extremely limited and not a viable solution for temporary protection beneficiaries. Nevertheless, the mayor of Warsaw dedicated 60 flats of the local communal housing resources to Ukrainian citizens displaced by the war. Some were available from February 2023 [75] Poland, interview with the Assistance and Social Projects Office of Warsaw City Council, 20 February 2023.
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Bratislava, Slovakia, has limited social housing. It is particularly inaccessible to temporary protection beneficiaries because of rigid rules. For example, they allow applications to be submitted only in Slovak [76] Slovakia, information provided by the head of the Integration Department, City Office of Bratislava, January 2023.
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Other than the housing assigned by the Swedish Migration Agency, the city of Malmö, Sweden, has no long-term housing plans [77] Sweden, response from the Unit for Assigned Housing, Department of Labour Market and Social Welfare, Malmö, December 2022.
. The city of Gothenburg refers people to its official queuing system for accessing public rental apartments.

Rental markets had limited affordable offers in most locations. In Brussels, social services found it a challenge to persuade landlords to accept temporary protection beneficiaries as tenants [78] Belgium, interview with the assistant coordinator of the Ukraine team at the PCSW of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, 8 February 2023.
. Municipalities, such as Watermael-Boitsfort, started a partnership with real estate agencies. The Regional Public Service of the Brussels Region also employed people from the Ukrainian community to answer a free housing hotline and organise information sessions (housing tables) in Ukrainian, to help beneficiaries understand lease contracts and search for accommodation. They also served as interpreters on visits to properties, to facilitate initial contact with the landlord [79] Belgium, information provided by the national authorities when reviewing this report in July 2023.
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The administrative centre in Bruges hosts a housing desk (Woonloket). All city residents can get help there on all topics related to housing, such as information on rental legislation or social housing. Local authorities may also ask for support from the province, neighbouring municipalities or the Flemish support teams (Vlaamse Ondersteuningsteams) in the wider region. These teams help set up facilities for long-term accommodation [80] Belgium, interview with the coordinator of the PCSW, Bruges, 23 January 2023.
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In Île-de-France and Alpes-Maritimes, France, transitional accommodation became long-term for lack of affordable housing. One hundred and twenty temporary protection beneficiaries, including 30 children, moved to a residential hotel with a social purpose in Île-de-France in spring 2022. They were still living there in January 2023 [81] France, interview with a representative of the association Equalis, Île-de-France, 27 January 2023.
. Available social housing covers less than a third of the demand and is often located in remote areas in the least populated regions of France, which lack employment opportunities and public transport [82] France, interview with a representative of the association France terre d’asile, Paris, 25 January 2023.
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Conversion and refurbishment projects created additional yet limited long-term capacity and faced funding difficulties.

In Saaremaa, Estonia, the Sõmera complex is a former care home including 10 residential buildings. It was refurbished to offer long-term accommodation for up to 150 temporary protection beneficiaries. The welfare services company Hoolekandeteenused AS divided the buildings into apartment-like living units, ensuring privacy, and will rent them to residents [83] Estonia, response to information request, Saaremaa Municipality Government, 12 January 2023.
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Uckermark, Germany, converted a reception facility into barrier-free and sustainable accommodation. It can be used as a student dormitory or home for the elderly when no longer needed to accommodate temporary protection beneficiaries or refugees [84] Germany, interview with a representative of the Department II of the District Administration, Uckermark, January 2023.
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In Slovakia, emergency accommodation became long-term in many cases because both cities lacked funding for long-term accommodation [85] Slovakia, information provided by the head of the Integration Department, City Office, Bratislava, 19 January 2023; interview with a representative of the COMIN centre, Nitra, 25 January 2023.
. This was a particular problem in isolated locations without schools and healthcare services [86] Slovakia, interview with a representative of Mareena, Bratislava, 27 January 2023.
. As Nitra attracts workers to its factories, employment agencies try to contract accommodation capacity in dormitories, leaving none for temporary protection beneficiaries [87] Slovakia, interview with a representative of the COMIN centre, Nitra, 25 January 2023.
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In Berlin, Germany, the Berlin Senate approved the building of modular housing apartments reserved for refugees in 2016 and 2018. As of January 2023, 29 of the 50 buildings had been completed. Stuttgart also started to build modular buildings that can be moved to various locations in the district, and to rent boarding houses and vacant properties for the long term, converting them into self-catering accommodations [88] Germany, information provided by the Department of Social Affairs and Integration, Stuttgart, January 2023.
. Limited availability of brownfield sites was a particular challenge for the authorities in both cities.

Ireland also planned to increase the number of modular and rapid-build homes and allocate a € 30 million fund to support local authorities in refurbishment projects. These solutions would be a longer-term form of accommodation. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth would lease refurbished accommodation for a minimum of five years, and a range of rapid-build accommodation would last between 20 and 60 years.

Local authorities received various types of funding for housing solutions, including from EU sources described in the introduction. To tackle local emergency housing needs specifically, the European Commission mobilised the European Regional Development Fund to support social housing, including purchases and refurbishment, and the European Social Fund Plus, to support community-based services and accommodation, especially for people with special needs.

Figure 2 – Local organisations’ ability to continue supporting temporary protection beneficiaries

Alternative text: A bar chart showing how many organisations gave each answer. Ten said ‘as long as needed’, nine said ‘up to a year’, five said ‘a few more months’ and seven said ‘don’t know’.

Question: “Based on current financial and human resources, how much longer will it be possible to maintain current support services for temporary protection beneficiaries?”

Source: online consultation with 30 support organisations in 17 locations, 2023

Allocation of funding to housing solutions was typically based on the number of temporary protection beneficiaries accommodated. However, that resulted in mismatches because of the dynamic situation, lack of accurate data (see Section 1.2.1), frequent relocations and reliance on private accommodation providers in many locations.

In Bruges, Belgium, for example, local authorities get two types of financing: one based on the number of registered temporary protection beneficiaries and the other linked to the accommodation that the local authority has registered and validated in the Flemish housing tool [89] Belgium, Law promoting the integration of beneficiaries of the temporary protection status (Wet tot bevordering van de integratie van de begunstigden van het tijdelijk beschermingsstatuut), 18 May 2022; Flemish Government, executive decree granting a subsidy to local authorities for the construction of reception capacity for temporarily displaced persons from Ukraine, 26 December 2022. . The second type excludes private accommodation by host families registered and validated in the Flemish housing tool [90] According to Art. 2 of the decree, among the defining characteristics of private accommodation are that it is situated in a reception location that is the principal, secondary or supplementary residence of a private person, or a building or mobile unit that an actor other than a local authority makes available and manages on its own initiative. .

In Sweden, the assigned municipality receives compensation based on the number of people assigned to it that it accommodates and not for empty places that the Swedish Migration Agency has not yet filled [91] Sweden, interview with the Swedish Migration Agency, 3 March 2023. . This made it difficult for the city of Malmö to assess the need to adapt housing and made it difficult to secure long-term solutions [92] Sweden, response from the Department of Labour Market and Social Welfare, Unit for Assigned Housing, Malmö, 8 December 2022. .