In the past few days, Swiss Refugee Aid (SFH) has received countless offers for private accommodation for refugees from Ukraine. The Swiss population is extremely helpful and shows solidarity. There are still many unanswered questions, but there are also offers of support from refugee aid, explains director Miriam Behrens.
SRF News: Ms. Behrens, do you still need private offers to take in refugees?
Miriam Behrens: Together with the campaign organization Campax, we have around 30,000 beds ready. However, we assume that a large number of refugees will arrive in Switzerland and we are grateful for every additional bed, be it private, hotel rooms or empty holiday apartments.
How many refugees are already in Switzerland?
That is difficult to estimate because the refugees are not yet registered. This only begins when protection status S is introduced. But we assume several thousand people. We are also expecting several hundred people today who will arrive in Switzerland from Germany. Depending on how the war develops, up to seven million refugees could arrive in Europe and tens of thousands come to Switzerland.
How willing is the population to help?
Thousands have already contacted us. There is fantastic solidarity among the population. People who not only want to help as host families, but also want to help with the reception or with relief supplies.
What should a potential host family consider as a prerequisite for taking in refugees?
Above all, one should know the needs of the refugees. They come from a crisis area, they had to leave everything behind, some even family members and are therefore severely traumatized. What we want from host families are places of retreat such as your own lockable room. A minimum stay of three months would be ideal. And, of course, openness to discussions in order to be able to help them a little in everyday life. It’s a challenging profile, but it also helps a lot with integration. We will be at your side with a hotline and will be able to accompany and advise the host families.
We will offer a hotline and accompany and advise the host families.
How are host families supported?
In addition to a hotline for questions, we will try to network the host families and organize exchange meetings. The families should have contacts. We also endeavor to provide translators to enable communication, especially for initial placement. Compensation will certainly be regulated by the federal government and the cantons, the exact responsibility is still open. But it is clear that there must be compensation if the refugees are taken in by a host family for a longer period of time.
How does the coordination between the federal government, cantons and refugee aid work?
We are in close consultation with the authorities. At the moment, the processes have not yet been precisely defined, as the refugees would first have to be registered in a federal asylum center. At the moment it is still unclear whether they can then be placed with host families or whether they will first be assigned to the cantons where the placement takes place.
Is it also possible to travel directly to friends or family members in Switzerland?
Refugees who have relatives or friends in Switzerland can of course travel there directly. However, they still have to go to a federal asylum center later because they have to be registered in order to receive protection status S.
Remi Bütler conducted the interview.