By the end of this year, the first Ukrainian refugees should be able to find accommodation in five small emergency reception villages located in the Brussels Region, the Brussels coordinator for Ukraine, Pierre Verbeeren, indicated on Friday.
His announcement came on the heels of the approval on Thursday by the Brussels government of a plan to install 30 modules near the Erasmus site in Anderlecht.
The option chosen by the Capital Region is to create small reception villages near residential areas to facilitate the integration of refugees with local residents and assistance organisations," Mr. Verbeeren told Belga News Agency. "We do not want ghettos and we are focussing our efforts on integration and supervision. Furthermore, it is important to define the role of the municipalities and the Region."
"The local population also has a role to play. We want also to emphasize the temporary nature of these emergency villages," Mr. Verbeeren stressed.
This first reception village will be installed on the Meylemeersch site, Chaussée de Lennik, where 30 modules will be installed with a total of around 100 containers. The village should be operational before the end of December.
Two other villages are planned in Watermael-Boitsfort, one in the Champs des Cailles (12 dwellings), the other rue Tritoma (about 15).
The Brussels Region currently hosts some 8,500 Ukrainians. A fifth of them found accommodation on the rental market, while 315 stay in collective reception structures, most of the time empty hotels.
Various municipalities, including Uccle, Watermael, Woluwé, Etterbeek and Forest, also host a number of refugees.
