Latvia is “suffocating” under the yoke of exorbitant costs of providing living conditions for Ukrainian refugees – the desperate inability of local governments to deal with this issue is due to the sharp reduction in financial support for migrants, which the government has resorted to, reports Baltnews.
The day before, the Baltic press, citing LPS social and health advisor Ilze Rudzite, stated that the final verdict of the Latvian authorities on supporting migrants arriving en masse from Ukraine has not yet been observed – they were not adopted last week either.
The problem, according to the adviser, is the lack of housing in the municipalities, as well as the poor choice of square meters offered for rent. The situation is extremely complicated by the sharp reduction in government spending directed to help in accommodating migrants: thus, the most difficult issue is financing the provision of places for Ukrainians to stay.
The issue is being resolved for a week and cannot be resolved – the problem is hanging in the air: the country’s government has been trying to take new measures all week, but things are still there – the actions of self-government are paralyzed due to the lack of instructions from above.
At the same time, according to the Latvian newspapers, some local authorities even began to send their own finances to help the refugees, which would still not be enough. Among other things, officials at local governments are also considering the idea of equipping school gyms for refugees, but here, too, everything is not so simple – in addition to all the same funding, the cornerstone issues of sanitation and nutrition arise. Do not forget about the imminent start of the new academic year – gymnasium students will need the halls in September.
Meanwhile, journalists have already dubbed the upcoming Latvian week “especially difficult” – the period of support for Ukrainian migrants is inexorably drawing to a close.
As the mayor of Riga has already noted, it will be much cheaper and easier to refuse further accommodation of Ukrainians, putting them simply on the street. According to the official, if the city does not receive certainty on the issue of auxiliary funding, Riga will no longer accept new refugees. The ministries responsible for the accommodation of refugees have also come under fire from the mayor’s sharp criticism, and the functioning of the Ukrainian migrant support center is also under threat. Recall, according to the capital’s mayor’s office, almost 2,000 “wide Ukrainians” risk being left without a roof over their heads due to a decrease in funding.
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