Olesia Bolhunovska has a very approximate command of the French language. But when this 41-year-old Ukrainian was asked what it was like to receive a letter on October 7 asking her to give up the accommodation where she lives in the northeastern French city of Thionville, rented by an aid organization, the words came thick and fast: “It was a shock, a panic.” Originally from Kharkiv, she fled Ukraine in March 2022 with her 63-year-old mother and 11-year-old son: “Volunteers took us from the Polish border to Luxembourg. From there, we went to Thionville, where I had a friend. At first, I didn’t try too hard. I thought the conflict wouldn’t last. But it’s dragging on and the situation in Kharkiv is getting more difficult every day.”
Since the end of September, dozens of displaced people like her in the Grand-Est region of eastern France have been ordered to return the accommodation made available to them by organizations, usually by October 31, the eve of the winter truce. The Ukrainian associations admit that, in other regions, “the transition to other accommodation has been managed smoothly upstream, without major tensions,” but point out that, in the east, “support through integration has not gone all the way.”
The local housing associations behind the eviction letters claim to be acting at the request of the French government. Some of the letters received detail the reasons for this decision: “All the necessary steps toward professional integration and autonomy have not been sufficiently diligently taken in order to include you in an overall integration program in the area,” stated a letter signed by the Reception and Social Reintegration Association of Meurthe-et-Moselle in eastern France. It went on to invite the individuals concerned to find their own solution for rehousing: “Failing this, a move to emergency accommodation may be proposed, subject to availability of places.”
Displaced Ukrainians enjoy a special status within the European Union: a temporary residence permit. In France, their accommodation is based on rental assistance. Thanks to government subsidies, associations rent apartments that they provide to displaced people. “This transitional measure is accompanied by a commitment to do everything in their power to find a permanent housing solution, as it is not the role of the state to provide permanent care for these people,” explained the Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture. Only 591 of the 1,600 displaced people accommodated in the administrative department now benefit from this program, in 228 homes.
You have 48.47% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.