New card helps Ukrainian refugees find free housing and jobs
I discussed the details with Milan Votypka, People in Need media coordinator for Ukraine:
“This map works with five main indicators, which include accommodation, the number of refugees in the respective region or city, places in schools, the socio-economic status of the region and the employment opportunities in each region. .”
So how exactly does it work?
“We started collecting information from all the respective authorities in the Czech Republic, I mean the Ministry of Interior, Education, Social Affairs and Labour, as well as local authorities, and we have gathered the information.
“And it actually shows which cities still have the capacity to accommodate children in schools, where there are job opportunities and free housing relative to the socio-economic status of the area.”
Who is this card for? Does it speak directly to refugees?
“It actually shows that out of the ten largest cities in the Czech Republic, two of them – Pilsen and Karlovy Vary – have already reached capacity. Other places, such as Moravia and Brno, still have room to accommodate more people.
“The other thing it shows is that the border regions are reaching their capacity limits. Most of the people staying there will have to leave by the end of May as they are staying in tourist accommodation and the owners of these residences will need it for their business. These are the two main things we can see on the map right now. »
Do you think the card could actually motivate these people to move to some of the less traveled areas?
“In our view, this should always be done in collaboration with local authorities. Of course, we can’t force people to go where they don’t want to go. But on this map you can see that if you live for example in Pilsen you don’t have to move very far to another part of the country, you can just move a few kilometers from where you already live . It is therefore about cooperation between the refugees and the local authorities.
